The Grand Forks City Council Committee of the Whole on Sept. 8 voted unanimously to authorize city finance to execute documents to participate in two revised opioid settlements tied to the Purdue Pharma LP bankruptcy and a separate settlement with several generic opioid manufacturers.

An attorney for the city’s litigation team told the committee the settlements resolve long-running claims against Purdue and the Sackler family and a later, smaller group of generic manufacturers. “The Sacklers will pay up to $6,500,000,000 in 16 payments over 15 years, with another $900,000,000 to be paid by Purdue,” the attorney said, and added that the agreements also include injunctive relief. The attorney recommended that Grand Forks sign on, saying, “there's really no downside to signing onto those settlements.”

Why it matters: the settlements are nationwide and payments will be distributed among states, counties and cities that choose to participate. The attorney said a rough estimate for North Dakota from the Purdue settlement is about $8.7 million if all contingencies are met, with 15% of that portion allocated to subdivisions in the state; Grand Forks would receive a pro rata share of any subdivision funds. For the multi‑defendant settlement with smaller generic manufacturers, the attorney said the national pool is about $1.1 billion and that North Dakota’s share would be a small fraction (a little more than 0.5% nationally in the attorney’s estimate), with 15% of the state’s allocation slated for subdivisions; the pro rata share for Grand Forks was not specified.

City staff and public‑health officials described how past settlement proceeds have been used. A staff member said Grand Forks has received roughly $309,000 in opioid‑related settlement funds since 2022 and that the city tracks the dollars in a designated fund. Tess Wall, a public‑health staff member, said the city has implemented the spending plan approved in 2023, incorporated a community mental‑health coordinator position into public health and used one‑time payments for program needs; the board of health has directed staff to engage local providers to identify service gaps and return with recommendations for spending future funds.

Discussion vs. decision: committee members asked how much the city might receive under the new agreements and were told precise local payments cannot be calculated until national and state allocations and the number of participants are finalized. The committee agreed with staff and the litigation team that the city should opt in to the settlements; the formal action was limited to authorizing City Finance to execute and submit the documents needed for the city’s participation.

Formal action: Councilmember Osowski moved approval; Councilmember Berg seconded. The committee voted unanimously to authorize execution of the documents supporting the city’s participation in the Purdue Pharma LP bankruptcy plan and the multi‑defendant generic manufacturer settlement.

Next steps and limits: the attorney cautioned that the dollar figures discussed are distributed across many jurisdictions and that Grand Forks’ final receipts depend on state allocations and the number of local governments that elect to participate. The settlements also include non‑monetary injunctive measures, and the attorney noted litigation over earlier proposals had reached the U.S. Supreme Court and required renegotiation before the revised agreements were reached. The committee did not set a dollar amount for the city’s expected receipt; staff will return to implement the required documentation and disbursement procedures if and when allocations are confirmed.