The state and local governments previously filed a formal lawsuit against the global retail giant, Walmart, regarding “powerful prescription opioids” throughout the United States. However, as of this past Tuesday, November 15, 2022, Walmart officially offered a total of $3.1 billion to put a definite end to its ongoing legal cases. This specific action swiftly follows the approximate $5 billion payoff from widely used pharmaceutical corporations, Walgreens Co. and CVS Health.
Anonymous representatives from the retail giant released the following statement in light of their newest offer: “Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis, with aid reaching state and local governments faster than any other nationwide opioid settlement to date.” Nebraska branch attorney general Doug Peterson also went in to shed some light on how “proactive” Walmart has been over the past few years — “Although Walmart filled significantly fewer prescriptions for opioids then CVS or Walgreens, since 2018 Walmart has been the most proactive in trying to monitor and control prescription opioid diversion attempted through its pharmacies.”