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Utah's opioid settlements: $495M committed so far, split 50/50 with counties as work continues
Summary
An Assistant Utah Attorney General says finalized settlements total about $495 million, split equally between the state and counties, but many investigations and negotiations remain and additional funds will arrive over years.
Kevin MacLean, Assistant Attorney General in the White Collar and Commercial Enforcement Division, told the Legally Speaking podcast that finalized opioid settlements will return about $495,000,000 to Utah state and local governments, with payments scheduled between immediate disbursements and installments stretching up to 17 years.
MacLean said $252,000,000 of that total is designated for the state and $242,000,000 for the state's 29 counties, and that, so far, the state has received roughly $69,000,000 while counties have received about $59,000,000. "We're not done," MacLean said, adding the legal and investigatory work will continue for years.
The distribution framework stems from a memorandum of understanding the state reached with all 29 counties that divides settlement funds 50 percent to counties and 50 percent to the state. MacLean said county shares are allocated using metrics intended to reflect local need, including rates of opioid use disorder, opioid-related deaths and population. The state's share is then subject to appropriation by the Utah Legislature.
MacLean described two principal reasons the Attorney General's Office pursues settlements: to secure resources communities need for treatment and supportive services, and to hold companies it views as complicit in driving the epidemic accountable. "The companies have finite resources," he said, and coordinated multistate action is "absolutely critical" to securing more favorable terms and stronger injunctive relief, such as requirements on how companies review suspicious orders and market to prescribers.
He said the office has opened multiple investigatory lines and that some defendants have entered bankruptcy, complicating recoveries. MacLean declined to name investigatory targets until announcements or filings are publicly made.
MacLean also described the human toll behind the litigation. "I get phone calls from families all the time," he said, calling those contacts "a very stark reminder of how visceral this is for so many Utahns." He estimated he has worked on opioid litigation roughly eight years and expects the work to continue for at least another two to three years.
On spending, MacLean said the Attorney General's Office provides advice but does not appropriate funds. "That is who gets to spend the money," he said, urging listeners to contact their legislators about how settlement funds should be used. He added that in his reviews, money spent so far from the opioid fund has been used to address the effects of the epidemic, and counties may use their portions for purposes they deem appropriate.
The interview underscores that while substantial sums have been committed and some cash already distributed, much of Utah's opioid litigation remains active and that decisions about the use of the state's share will be made through the legislative budget process. The Attorney General's Office said it is making resources available to support communities, but cautioned that final allocations and further recoveries will unfold through ongoing negotiations and potential litigation.
