As the Opioid problem continues to plague our state, a lot of people are curious about how much money the various settlements have brought to Utah. But the reality is that Utah’s Opioid Settlements are best described as works in progress.
Utah has received money from various sources: pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and others. But there is no bottom-line amount to report, since there are important legal actions still pending.
Here is the picture so far: Settlements that have been finalized will return about $495 million to be divided between the state and the counties. ($252 will come to the state, while about $242 million will go to the counties.) Payments will come over different timeframes ranging from immediate payment to payments over up to 17 years. As of August, 2024, the state has actually received about $69 million, while the counties have received about $59 million.
The settlements are important to our state, since the opioid crisis is still taking an unprecedented toll on families and is ruining lives as the problem evolves.
On this edition of Legally Speaking, we’re getting perspective from our top attorney over the Opioid settlements, Kevin McLean, Assistant Attorney General in the White Collar and Commercial Enforcement Division of our office.
