The board voted to authorize county attorneys to sign settlement agreements in two opioid-related cases, staff told supervisors.
Staff explained the county previously agreed to participate in class-action litigation against manufacturers and distributors of opioid drugs and that settlements are now being finalized. One settlement — described as involving multiple defendants/distributors — was characterized as relatively small for the national total; staff estimated Mecklenburg County’s portion to be about $21,500.
The second settlement discussed was the Purdue Pharma agreement. Staff described Purdue Pharma’s settlement total as $7.4 billion, with $6.9 billion attributed to personal contributions by members of the Sackler family; staff said the county’s share would be about $136,000. Officials cautioned that the Purdue settlement funds would be paid under the settlement terms over 15 years, producing an estimated annual stream of about $9,000.
Staff recommended the board approve resolutions authorizing county attorneys to sign off on both settlements; supervisors approved both motions by voice vote.
Board members did not detail a plan to spend the settlement funds at the meeting; staff framed the actions as authorizing legal sign-off to secure funds due to the county’s earlier decision to participate in the litigation.