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Board joins Purdue and manufacturer opioid settlements to access funds
Summary
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted Aug. 25 to join the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement and a separate settlement with eight manufacturers, authorizing participation that will release certain litigation rights in exchange for opioid-settlement funds.
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25 adopted resolutions to participate in two nationwide opioid settlements: the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan and a separate settlement with eight manufacturers of precursor chemicals.
Why the story matters: participation preserves this county’s eligibility for settlement funds under both agreements but also requires the county to release certain claims against parties covered by the settlements.
County counsel and staff summarized the matters for the board. The Purdue Pharma item concerned the company’s bankruptcy plan and related Sackler-family settlement; the staff recommended the county adopt the attached resolution to participate and thereby receive opioid-settlement funds. The board moved and adopted the resolution. The transcript records the motion passed with the supervisors present voting in the affirmative.
A second, related agenda item sought county participation in a parallel settlement with eight manufacturers that supplied precursor chemicals tied to the opioid crisis. Staff described that item as similar to the Purdue action but without bankruptcy proceedings; adopting that resolution would also permit Rockbridge County to participate in the distributed settlement funds and would forgo separate suit rights against those companies. The board moved and approved that resolution as well.
Both votes were recorded in the meeting transcript as affirmative among voting members present; the board did not attach special conditions to either resolution during the meeting. Staff noted that participation is a typical step for local governments seeking recovery funds and that accepting the settlement requires the county to release claims against the settling parties in exchange for allocated payments under the settlement framework.
The board paused its agenda for public hearings following the vote; no additional discussion or amendment of either settlement resolution appears in the meeting record.
