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Greenwich to join national opioid settlement; funds earmarked for abatement
Summary
At a second reading the Board of Selectmen voted to join a proposed national settlement with six distributor/dispensing defendants; the combined settlement was described at about $97,625,000 and the town’s participation deadline was set for May 4.
Town staff presented a second read asking the Board of Selectmen to approve Greenwich’s participation in a proposed national settlement with six remaining distributor and dispenser defendants.
Rosemary Beretta described the combined settlement as approximately $97,625,000 "for the purposes of remediating and abating the impacts of the opioid epidemic." She said Greenwich’s participation would require waiving and releasing the town’s claims against those six defendants and that any funds received must be spent according to the settlement’s restrictions. The deadline to participate was given as May 4.
Beretta said the town’s commissioner of human services, Demetria Nelson, would oversee disbursement of received funds to ensure compliance with the settlement’s permitted uses. Beretta also noted that individual residents would not waive their personal rights to pursue claims.
The board voted to participate; the motion carried unanimously.
Why it matters: Settlement funds are designated for abatement and remediation of opioid-related harms; participation commits the town to the settlement’s spending rules and waives municipal claims against the named defendants.
What’s next: The town will complete participation paperwork ahead of the May 4 deadline and, if and when funds arrive, the Department of Human Services will oversee allocation per the settlement’s terms.
