The Cobb County Commission voted Tuesday to enter a settlement with Kroger in the ongoing national opioid lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributers and retailers.
The settlement agreement totals $1.2 billion nationally. County spokesman Ross Cavitt said the final amount Cobb will receive over 11 years won’t be determined until other jurisdictions join the settlement, which will be split among them all.
This is one of several settlements Cobb County and other jurisdictions have entered in recent years, seeking to hold multiple companies responsible for the opioid epidemic and to obtain resources to address the aongoing impacts.
The state of Georgia’s opioid settlement funds will total $638 million. Some of that will trickle down to counties based on impact, with Cobb set to receive the state’s largest payout at just over $2 million.
Separately, Cobb has approved three other settlements: $19 million with opioid manufacturers and Janssen Pharmaceuticals; $15.2 million with manufacturers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS, Walgreens and Walmart; and a $3.5 million settlement with Rite Aid.
Earlier this year, the board established the Cobb County Opioid Abatement Advisory Council to help determine the best way to use the funds.
Governmental entities began pursuing litigation in 2018. Cobb had the most opioid overdose deaths in the state in 2017.
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