Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Litigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ashland County ratifies counsel authority to add defendants, including OptumRx, to opioid litigation
Summary
The county approved a resolution authorizing counsel to add additional defendants to Ashland County’s opioid litigation, including joining OptumRx in a new MDL case; county expects to receive approximately 0.6% of Wisconsin’s settlement share, but total dollars and timeline are not yet known.
The Ashland County Board of Supervisors voted to confirm and ratify county counsel’s authority to add additional defendants to the county’s opioid litigation, including joining claims against pharmacy-benefit manager OptumRx in Multidistrict Litigation MDL 2804.
Supervisor Franek moved approval and the motion was seconded; the board discussed that the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) advised counties to grant this authority to allow attorneys to add additional health-care companies as needed. Board members asked about timing and expected recovery; staff said the new OptumRx case is a “brand new case” and that OptumRx is actively defending the claims, so there is no timeline for a resolution.
A county staff member reported Ashland County’s expected share of any state-distributed opioid settlement would be approximately 0.6% of the state’s allocation, a percentage consistent with prior settlements. The board voted to approve the resolution by voice vote; members were informed they will receive any funds only after settlements or adjudications resolve dollar amounts.
Clarifying details: the resolution references MDL 2804 and authorizes counsel to add defendants as appropriate; the county’s share (0.6%) is a percentage of state receipts and the total dollar amount that Ashland County may receive is not yet specified.
The board carried the resolution; administrators said they would report back with any timeline or dollar figures as cases progress.
