A federal judge on Wednesday ordered three of the nation's largest pharmacy chains to pay $650.5 million to two Ohio counties for their part in fueling the opiate epidemic.
A November jury verdict found that the companies had ignored signs that the pills were being abused and continued to distribute large quantities of the drugs.
This is the first time a federal judge has ordered a firm money figure against the pharmacy chains for their roles in the crisis.
Drug manufacturers and drug distributors are among the groups that have been sued.
The pharmacy chains are rending the fabric of society apart according to the Texas lawyer who led the trial team. They need to show they need to correct their actions. They won't do it. The judge is doing it
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Representatives for the two drugstores expressed their disappointment in the judge's ruling. The judge's analysis was described as flawed by a spokesman for Walgreens. He said that they didn't distribute the drugs to the "pill mills" that fueled the crisis.
Michael DeAngelis said the company would appeal and that pharmacists fill legal prescriptions written by D.E.A.-licensed doctors who prescribe F.D.A. approved substances to treat actual patients in need.
Walmart didn't reply to the request.
The experts said the counties would need more than $3 billion, which was equivalent to the sun, the moon and the stars. Mr. Lanier acknowledged that he was still quite pleased with the result.
Adam Zimmerman, who teaches complex litigation at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, said, "Just imagine the costs for the other 3,000 similar plaintiffs in this litigation, or the nearly 20,000 incorporated cities around the country." It is no wonder that so many defendants have settled out of court.
The judge said that the money must be paid in installments. The companies were ordered to comply with strict monitoring and reporting rules within 90 days in order to improve how they distribute and spot potential problems. Hotlines for anonymous tips and policies for internal compliance committees are required.
The judge noted that the two drugstores had already agreed to the restrictions in the May settlement. The order gives additional oversight to an outside administrator despite the fact that these practices should already exist.
The pharmacy chains were harshly reprimanded by Judge Polster for their activities in Ohio, and he warned them of other pending cases. The pharmacy chains have been the least willing to settle cases.
The nation's big three distributors settled with more than a hundred West Virginia counties and cities for $400 million for their business practices during the Opioid Epidemic. He said that it was a lot cheaper to settle than it was to go to trial. He said that the pharmacy could have settled this for less than they are doing now.
The defendants ignored Judge Polster's orders to submit their own proposals after the jury found them guilty. The judge wrote that the pharmacy chains suggestions for addressing the epidemic amounted to a scant three-paragraph description of drug take-back programs.
Walgreens could be in line to pay a lot of money for its practices during the epidemic. A federal judge who had presided over a bench trial in a case brought by the city and county of San Francisco issued a ruling against the company, holding it responsible for looking the other way while the damage caused by opiate abuse was piling up. The hearing to determine what Walgreens must pay to rebuild budgets that were destroyed by the epidemic has not yet been scheduled.
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