Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC

09/10/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2021 17:03

Opioid Manufacturers Endo and Par agree to $50 million settlement with New York State, Suffolk and Nassau Counties

Central Islip, New York - Simmons Hanly Conroy, counsel for Suffolk County and Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, counsel for Nassau County, announced today they, working alongside the New York State Attorney General's Office, have secured a $50 million settlement with opioid manufacturers Endo and Par as part of the ongoing consolidated opiate litigation in New York State.

'Securing meaningful settlements with Endo and Par is another massive victory for Suffolk County and its residents, who have spent decades dealing with the impact and subsequent fallout of the opioid crisis,' said Jayne Conroy, lead counsel for Suffolk County and co-lead counsel in the national prescription opioid MDL. 'This agreement ensures funding will be made available for critical abatement programs in a more expedited fashion. While we are pleased with this result and what it means for the communities in Suffolk County, we are still focused on the remaining defendants in this crucially important trial.'

'This groundbreaking trial continues to deliver results for the people of Nassau County as we continue to hold those responsible for the opioid epidemic accountable,' said Hunter Shkolnik, lead counsel for Nassau County. This result is a victory for everyone as it ensures resources will be delivered to communities in need without having to deal with the potential for bankruptcy proceedings.'

The financial terms of the settlement are as follows:

  • $22.3 million to the Office of the NY State Attorney General
  • $13.85 million to Suffolk County
  • $13.85 million to Nassau County

This latest development follows previously announced settlements with McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, Walmart Inc., Rite Aid Corp, CVS Health Corp. and Johnson & Johnson totaling more than $1 billion in recovered funds for all of New York State.

The New York State trial continues next week with the remaining defendants Allergan, Teva and Anda Inc.

In August 2016, Suffolk County filed one of the first county lawsuits in the country to hold opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies accountable for their role in creating and perpetuating the opioid epidemic. The case was consolidated in 2017 with Nassau and other New York counties' similar lawsuits. The state of New York joined the proceedings in 2018. The proceedings mark the first opioid case to proceed with a jury trial in state and federal court.

The New York State-Court case is independent from the federal opioid litigation proceeding, National Prescription Opiate Litigation (NPOL), formed in December 2017, in which federal opioid cases brought by over 2,800 American cities, towns, counties and more are consolidated before Hon. Dan Polster of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Trials in the NPOL are organized into case tracks or 'bellwethers' that serve as test cases to help reach resolutions for various claim, plaintiff, and defendant types. There are currently several case tracks moving toward trial.

The case is In Re: Opioid Litigation, case number 400000/2017; County of Suffolk v. Purdue Pharma LP et al., case number 400001/2017; County of Nassau v. Purdue Pharma LP et al., case number 400008/2017; and State of New York v. Purdue Pharma LP et al., case number 400016/2018, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk