The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Officials criticize opioid settlement negotiations
Lorain County commissioners continued to criticize the state of Ohio in ongoing negotiations with lawsuits against the pharmaceutical industry stemming from the opioid crisis.
Commissioner Lori Kokoski was among dozens of local government officials in Columbus on Feb. 11 hearing settlement options for the litigation.
Kokoski, Lorain County’s representative on the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, said she remained displeased with the process and argued local governments should receive a larger share of payouts.
Kokoski said the current proposal on the table would see 55 percent of the settlement money going to a foundation with local governments receiving 30 percent and the state getting 15 percent.
“So, it’s a foundation getting 55 percent, it’s the county and local governments getting 30 percent and it’s the state getting 15 percent,” she said. “I’m like, okay, so they’re two paying clients; it’s the state and its local governments, but the lion’s share is going to this foundation that isn’t even part of a lawsuit.
“But they’re making it sound like that the 55 percent is local government money, but we have to beg for it.”
David O’Neill, senior public information officer for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, confirmed the settlement breakdown and said the sides are continuing to work on a resolution.
“The governor, attorney general and attorneys for local government have been working hard to find a path forward for Ohio,” O’Neill said. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get there, but ready to try our cases if we don’t.”
Dan Tierney, spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine, said discussions are ongoing and DeWine remains optimistic.
Kokoski said she feels the proposal places much in the hands of the foundation and feels it has the potential to become a “superagency.”
“We do need to put something aside because this problem, even once the opioid problem hopefully goes away, this is not going to end; it’s going to be something,” she said. “It’s always something, so we need to address that into the future and that’s what the foundation is intended for.”
In September, the commissioners criticized the state for taking over opioid lawsuits filed by local governments in a resolution.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2017 against pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers including Purdue Pharma, Cephalon Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Endo Health Solutions Inc.