This week, state Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the finalization of two separate multimillion-dollar opioid settlement agreements totaling more than $360 million.
Moody and her team of attorneys finalized Florida’s nearly $300 million settlement between the state of Florida and Johnson & Johnson, as well as a new, separate $65 million settlement with Endo Health Solutions, Inc., to fund resources for mitigation efforts in the state and address allegations regarding the opioid manufacturers’ roles in the national opioid crisis harming Floridians.
“The national opioid crisis is wreaking havoc on families across this country. As Attorney General, I continue to work tirelessly to hold companies that helped fuel this crisis responsible for their actions—so we can secure funds to help restore communities devastated by opioid abuse. These separate, multimillion-dollar agreements will help further this vital mission and protect Florida families,” Moody said.
Under the terms of the Johnson & Johnson deal announced in July, Florida will receive up to $299 million, with a portion of the funds being sent directly to Florida’s cities and counties. l Moody negotiated an allocation deal with these localities that ensures settlement proceeds will be spent on curbing the opioid epidemic causing thousands of deaths each year.
In July 2021, Moody first announced the settlement with Johnson & Johnson. The agreement follows an investigation by state attorneys general into whether the company misled patients and doctors about the addictive nature of opioid drugs.
The completion of the deal comes after more than 183 Florida cities and counties signed on with Moody. These cities and counties account for more than 99 percent of the subdivisions that separately sued Johnson & Johnson and more than 93 percent of the total subdivision population in the state of Florida.
The Attorney General’s Office has set up an online portal for local governments in Florida to sign on to the Johnson & Johnson settlement.
In addition to the Johnson & Johnson deal, Moody negotiated a $65 million settlement agreement with Endo Health Solutions Inc., a company that allegedly deceptively marketed opioid medications by downplaying the associated risk of addiction. Endo also allegedly failed to monitor, report and negligently shipped suspicious orders of opioid medications. A similar sign-on process as used for the Johnson & Johnson agreement will occur for subdivisions in this Endo agreement.
