(Fort Washakie, WY) – On Tuesday, February 1, 2022, attorneys for Native American Tribes reached a $590 million opioid settlement with drug maker Johnson & Johnson and the three largest drug distribution companies.
Under the settlement proposal, McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp., along with Johnson & Johnson, agreed to pay the amount to settle lawsuits over the opioid crisis and the mishandling of opioids.
“This is historic for tribal nations across the country and especially for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, which was hit hard by the opioid crisis,” said Eastern Shoshone Business Council Chairman John St. Clair.
“We are encouraged to be moving toward a resolution that gives us the tools and resources to begin combatting this epidemic,” Chairman St. Clair added. “These settlement funds will allow our tribe to combat the damages that opioids have caused within our communities and help us to protect the health and welfare of our people.”
The settlement funds, which will be divided among Tribes and tribal entities impacted by the opioid crisis and paid over several years, will allow Tribes to provide counseling, treatment and rehabilitation services, among opioid-related abatement services.