Huron County accepts national opioid settlement terms, authorizes prosecutor to sign and vote

The Huron County Board of Commissioners on July 8 approved resolutions accepting the material terms of proposed national opioid settlement agreements with several manufacturers and distributors and separately accepted the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy and Sackler-family proposals.

Assistant Prosecutor Randal Strickler told the Board the first resolution adds eight defendants to the national suit and that “some will be a one lump sum payment to the county, and others will be paid over a period of 5 to 10 years.” The Board voted unanimously to accept those settlements.

The Board separately accepted the proposed settlements tied to the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy and the Sackler family and authorized the Huron County Prosecutor’s Office to vote in favor of the Purdue Pharma Plan on or by Sept. 16, 2025, and to execute the Governmental Entity Settlement Agreement with the Sackler family on or by Sept. 30, 2025 via DocuSign. Strickler noted the Purdue plan is part of the bankruptcy process and said he will notify county counsel by email confirming the Board’s acceptance.

Why it matters: the settlements are designed to provide funds to local governments to address opioid-related harms; the county’s action authorizes local counsel to complete the paperwork and cast the county’s votes on national settlement plans within the deadlines specified by the bankruptcy and settlement processes.

The motions were moved by Commissioner Tom Dunlap, seconded by Commissioner Harry Brady, and passed by an aye vote from all three commissioners.