Everett, Washington To Receive More Than $4 Million Dollars In Opioid Settlement

Back in January 2015 heroin reportedly replaced OxyContin as the drug of choice in Everett, Washington causing a crisis for the city.

Here’s the City of Everett’s announcement on the settlement with retailers. Editor’s note: The Purdue Pharma case is still pending as that company has filed bankruptcy. After the City filed suit in 2017, cities and States across the nation followed with their own legal actions leading to combined settlements such as the one accepted Wednesday.

The City of Everett announced a $4.19 million settlement has been reached on its lawsuit against several pharmaceutical corporations for their contributions to the local opioid crisis: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva and Allergan.

Everett faced sharp rises in drug abuse, addiction and associated illegal conduct as a result of the ongoing opioid epidemic. Because of this, Everett became the first city in the nation to file suit against Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, for their role in causing widespread addiction in the community.

“In the City of Everett, we see the impacts of the opioid epidemic every day and it’s heartbreaking,” said Cassie Franklin, mayor of the City of Everett. “I’m glad we can hold these corporations accountable for their part in flooding our streets with highly addictive medications. Though this settlement won’t bring back all those we have lost, it will add resources to address the lasting effects in our community.”

As part of the State of Washington’s suit against opioid distributors, McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Everett received a settlement of over $4.1 million.

The City of Everett’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma is still ongoing and will result in the recovery of additional funds.