Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said the city would use funds from from a nationwide settlements recently reached with pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and other distributors related to their involvement in the opioid addiction crisis to address substance abuse disorder and homelessness.
“Johnson & Johnson and its U.S.-based Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies...confirmed there is sufficient level of participation to move forward with the nationwide settlement agreement to resolve opioid-related claims and litigation by states, cities, counties and other subdivisions in the United States,” the company said in a statement.
While asserting the settlement agreement is not an admission of any liability or wrongdoing, company officials added “as previously announced on July 21, 2021, the Company will contribute up to $5 billion to the nationwide settlement, which is designed to directly support state and local efforts to make meaningful progress in addressing the opioid crisis in the United States.”
Feuer first filed civil suit in 2018, naming six opioid manufacturers and three distributors as defendants in a case alleging “fraudulent and negligent business practices that have fueled the local and nationwide opioid crisis.”
Over a 20-year period beginning in 1999, Feuer’s office claims nearly 247,000 people across the country died from overdoses related to prescription opioids.
“My goal is that the tens of millions of dollars we expect from this settlement for our city will target the intersection between substance abuse disorder and homelessness," Feuer said on the city attorney website. "We sued because no corporation, no matter how powerful, should be allowed to get away with putting profits over people's lives. Though no amount of money can ever replace the lives lost and families shattered by opioid addiction in Los Angeles, this substantial settlement will help prevent future devastation.”
Across the country, prescription opioid overdose-related hospitalizations, drug treatment and hospital emergency room visits have also steadily rose over the years.
"The scourge of prescription drug addiction has made a significant impact on Los Angeles residents and created a continued public nuisance in our city," Feuer said.