Maricopa County has agreed to a plan to share more than a half billion dollars in legal settlement money from opioid companies with local governments and the state.
The county’s top attorney touted the deal at a news conference Wednesday.
The deal was struck so state and local governments could bargain together for Arizona’s portion of a national legal settlement.
Nearly half of an estimated $580 million payment by a handful of opioid companies goes to the state.
Maricopa County’s cut is about $80 million. County Attorney Allister Adel said the settlement will put communities on a path to healing.
“It will hold accountable those who distributed this very dangerous narcotic and drug to our loved ones. But most importantly, it’s going to provide resources to us,” she said.
The agreement, now approved by the Board of Supervisors, details ways to spend opioid settlement money on abuse prevention, treatment and help for first responders.
The turning point in the years-long litigation came when an Ohio judge made the opioid makers unveil data they were required to keep, but argued were trade secrets.
Thomas Liddy, who heads the Civil Division of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, called it shocking to see how much drug-makers and distributors knew about how opioids affect people.
“That was the game-changer. And from there on, each state was working toward a settlement,” he said.
