Washington County Commissioners Move To Approve Opioid Settlement

MARIETTA, OH — With the opioid crisis still impacting communities like Washington County, the county commissioners have taken a step towards reparations. Today they approved a resolution to accept the terms of the One Ohio Subdivision Settlement pursuant to the One Ohio Memorandum of Understanding and consistent with the terms of the July 21, 2021, National Opioid Settlement Agreement.

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In other words, three opioid distributors want to settle the major lawsuit. The companies that want to settle are McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and AmerisourceBergen Corporation. Under advisement from their Attorney Ethan Vessels, the commissioners signed the agreement, but that's not the end of things. This is a massive lawsuit that involves plaintiffs from all across Ohio. More than 95% of the plaintiffs have to agree to accept the settlement to make it official.

Sitting Commission President Kevin Ritter said that if enough plaintiffs do sign on, and the settlement is agreed to, the county will see between $468,000 and $669,000 over 18-years. And even if that happens this isn't the end of the story. There will still be more than a dozen other opioid manufacturers and or distributors who remain in litigation with Washington County and the rest of Ohio affected by the opioid crisis.

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