Kroger To Pay $110 Mln To Settle Kentucky Lawsuit Over Opioid Distribution

(RTTNews) - Attorney General Russell Coleman, announced on Thursday, that Kroger Company (KR) will pay the State of Kentucky $110 million in a settlement for its involvement in the distribution of opioids without the necessary safety precautions.

Half of the money would go to local governments and the other half will go to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission, which oversees opioid settlement payments, in order to fight addiction in the state.

Kentucky has been severely impacted by the opioid epidemic, reporting 1,984 overdose deaths in 2023 alone. The lawsuit, filed by Coleman in February 2024, alleged that from 2006 to 2019, more than 100 Kroger pharmacies were responsible for over 11 percent of all opioid prescriptions dispensed in the state.

The settlement funds will be used to combat addiction in the state, with half allocated to local governments and the other half directed to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission.

Established in 2022, the commission manages opioid settlement payments and has already distributed millions to address the crisis.