Attorney General’s Office to distribute $44.7M from opioid settlements

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita

The Office of the Attorney General announced Tuesday that millions of opioid settlement-related dollars are going to be disbursed across the state this week.

Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office is distributing $44.7 million to Indiana cities, towns and counties in the next wave of funding from opioid settlements.

The settlements are from companies that allegedly contributed to the state’s opioid epidemic through irresponsible and/or unlawful actions.

“The scourge of opioid abuse and overdose has inflicted such unspeakable pain on so many Hoosiers,” Rokita said in a news release. “No amount of money will ever compensate families for the loss of loved ones, but these settlements help prevent similar types of corporate irresponsibility from ever happening again.”

The payments being sent this week came from settlements with Allergan, Teva, Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart.

Small additional payments received came from pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen.

The Office of the Attorney General anticipates to receive more than $925 million over the course of all opioid settlements.

Local governments have wide discretion in choosing exactly how to use the opioid funds.

The settlement funds support local law enforcement efforts, drug task forces, regional treatment hubs, early intervention and crisis support, and other important programs aimed at combating substance abuse and overdose.

The $44.7 million sent to local communities — plus another approximately $2.6 million in attorney fees paid to litigating subdivisions’ counsel — represents 50% of the approximately $95 million in funds remitted by the pharmaceutical companies for this round of payments. The other half goes to the State of Indiana.

The Office of the Attorney General encourages local communities to seek information regarding the state’s 50% share and take steps to obtain additional funds.