Attorney Jeffrey B. Simon Secures a Historic $1.8 Billion Opioid Settlement For Texas
Jeffrey B. Simon, a lead negotiator in Texas’ ongoing opioid multidistrict litigation (MDL), announced that he and a committee of trial lawyers, along with the Office of the Texas Attorney General, have reached a historic $1.8 billion settlement for Texas. A $1.775 billion cash award will reimburse local governments and the State of Texas and resource an intensive harm reduction program to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic. An additional $75 million of NARCAN® Nasal Spray, a life-saving drug that can reverse opioid overdose when administered in time, will be distributed across the state.
The settlements were executed with several drug companies in the opioid supply chain: Johnson & Johnson, Endo Pharmaceuticals, McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Teva Pharmaceuticals and AmerisourceBergen. Some of the settlement monies have already been paid; others will be paid according to an agreed schedule. 15 percent of funds will go to the State of Texas, 15 percent will be paid to individual cities and counties throughout Texas, and 70 percent of the monies will be placed in an abatement fund that is managed by the Texas State Comptroller’s Office and distributed through grant approval by the Texas Opioid Council. Simon’s work has ensured that monies from settlements in opioid litigation will be used almost exclusively to fund opioid-related efforts rather than be expended for unrelated or untargeted purposes.
