Walker County approves law firm to join Purdue Direct opioid settlement program

Walker County Commissioners Court moved from executive session and, following a closed briefing on opioid litigation, approved a motion on Aug. 11 authorizing the county's contract counsel to participate in the Purdue Direct settlement program. During open session the judge placed a motion to authorize "Mike Park law firm to participate in the Purdue Direct settlement program on behalf of Walker County," and to give the county judge authority to sign settlement paperwork. The court voted in favor of the motion; the minutes show the motion carried. The court had gone into executive session earlier under a recorded citation ("551 0 7 1 at 09:17") and returned at 09:26 after receiving an update from Mike Park of Park Waterfront (the county's outside counsel for the litigation). The open-session action gave Park's firm authority to enroll Walker County in the Purdue Direct program and to execute necessary documents under the judge's signature. No detailed settlement figures, disbursement schedules or legal language were read into the public record during the open session; the court recorded only that an update had been received in executive session and that the participation authorization passed.