ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ANNOUNCES BIPARTISAN NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENT WITH KROGER FOR OVER $1 BILLION IS NOW FINAL

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ANNOUNCES BIPARTISAN NATIONAL OPIOID SETTLEMENT WITH KROGER FOR OVER $1 BILLION IS NOW FINAL

November 04, 2024

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the finalization of a bipartisan national settlement with Kroger that requires the grocery chain to pay $1.37 billion to participating states and local governments for its role in the opioid crisis.

Under the agreement, Illinois will receive over $40 million that will be allocated according to the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement that Raoul reached in 2021 with state's attorneys. The agreement, which Raoul's office negotiated, is intended to ensure the funds Illinois will receive through the national opioid settlements are allocated equitably, including to counties and eligible municipalities. The majority of Illinois' money will go to the Illinois Remediation Fund to be used for abatement programs throughout the state.

"This settlement ensures Kroger is held accountable and allows resources to reach communities hardest hit by this ongoing opioid crisis that continues to affect all corners of America," Raoul said. "I am proud of the bipartisan work attorneys general continue to do to hold the companies accountable for fueling the opioid epidemic, and I am committed to ensuring that funding is distributed equitably throughout the state to help fund services needed to mitigate the opioid addiction crisis."

In addition to the financial component of the settlement, Kroger has also agreed to injunctive relief that requires its pharmacies to monitor, report and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.

The agreement will only be applicable to states in which Kroger operates, both under its own name or under the name of other subsidiaries. In Illinois, Kroger operates under the Kroger name as well as Mariano's and others.

The settlement is the latest in Attorney General Raoul's ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and hold accountable companies whose deceptive practices increased opioid prescriptions at the expense of public health. To date, national investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry over the opioid crisis have led to more than $50 billion in settlements, with Illinois' share at more than $1.3 billion.

Attorney General Raoul urges anyone who believes they or a loved one may be addicted to opioids to seek help by calling the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances at 833-2FINDHELP, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The settlement negotiations were led by Attorney General Raoul and the attorneys general of California, Colorado, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia.