Eight Oklahoma counties are likely part of the massive settlements being paid out by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
Seven County Commission Boards including Craig, Creek, Mayes, Nowata, Okmulgee, Rogers and Washington County are suing Walmart, CVS and Walgreens according to court documents from the Northern District Court of Oklahoma.
Payne County is only suing Walgreens and Walmart.
The lawsuits from Rogers, Mayes, Creek, Okmulgee, Nowata and Washington County said between 2007 and 2014, the records for patients and prescriptions were not checked before prescriptions were given.
The lawsuits allege that the pharmacies distributed millions of pills and did not check to see if patients were filling multiple prescriptions with the same doctor or different doctor.
The lawsuit from Rogers County said pharmacies were:
- (a) filling multiple prescriptions to the same patient using the same doctor;
- (b) filling multiple prescriptions by the same patient using different doctors;
- (c) filling prescriptions of unusual size and frequency for the same patient;
- (d) filling prescriptions of unusual size and frequency from out-of-state patients.
It also said Walmart was pinpointing which pharmacies got more pills than others.
“They used the data to evaluate their own sales activities and workforce. Defendants’ also provided data regarding, inter alia, individual doctors to drug companies, which targeted those prescribers with their marketing, in exchange for rebates or other forms of consideration,” according to the Rogers County lawsuit.
Between 2007 and 2014, the lawsuits said Walmart alone distributed more than 27 million opioid pills to the counties.
Each county will seek to gain damages from the economic impact the opioid crisis left on the community and the departments that each had to put more money in subsequently.
CVS, Walmart and Walgreens have agreed to long term payouts.
Below are the statements from each.
CVS: CVS Health has agreed it will pay approximately $5 billion ($4.9 billion to states and political subdivisions and approximately $130 million to tribes) over the next ten years beginning in 2023, depending on the number of governmental entities that agree to join the settlement.
Walmart: Walmart announced today it has agreed to a $3.1 billion nationwide opioid settlement framework designed to resolve substantially all opioid lawsuits and potential lawsuits by state, local, and tribal governments, if all conditions are satisfied.
Walgreens: Under these frameworks, the company expects to settle all opioid claims against it by participating states, subdivisions and tribes, for up to approximately $4.95 billion in remediation payments to be paid out over 15 years. The settlement frameworks include no admission of wrongdoing or liability by the company.
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