Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is again weighing legal options over the state’s allocation of funds it got from a billion dollar opioid settlement.
Mayes contends there are issues with money given to the state Department of Corrections.
"What is so outrageous about this is people in Arizona are dying from fentanyl overdoses. This opioid money should have gone to address that critical issue," Mayes said.
Mayes says her office has new evidence the state is using nearly $40 million from the settlement to pay for Hepatitis C treatments for inmates.
She says that is not allowed as a part of the agreement.
Last week, a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge ordered Mayes’ office to pay $70,000 in legal fees. He ruled against her in June in a previous lawsuit against Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Legislature over allocation of settlement funds.
Hobb’s press aide Christian Slater says Mayes' new claims do not stand under scrutiny.
“The attorney general is flat-out wrong on the law. On her very own website she indicates the funds may be used for opioid treatment in our corrections system," Slater said.
The Judge did leave the door open for further legal action if Mayes was able to find evidence the money was not used in accordance with the agreement.
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