In 'Historic Settlement' With Florida, Walgreens To Give State $680 Million

TAMPA, FL — Walgreens will pay out more than $680 million to the state over the company's role in Florida's ongoing opioid epidemic, following four weeks of court testimony with evidence presented by the Florida Attorney General's Office, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Moody called it a "historic settlement that will have far-reaching impacts across the nation."

See related story: FL Gets $1.3 Billion In Opioid Settlement From Drug Companies

She said Florida is the first state in the country to successfully conclude opioid litigation against manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies that played a role in the current opioid epidemic plaguing Florida, resulting in an average of 21 people dying every day in the state.

"I am glad we have been able to conclude this monumental litigation and move past the courtroom," Moody said. "Now, real progress can be made to move forward and save lives."

Walgreens is the 12th and final defendant in Florida's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies that has resulted in settlements of more than $3 billion to the state.

"It was a four-week legal battle in courts fought by a talented team of attorneys who have spent years working on this litigation," Moody said of the litigation against Walgreens. "Now we can begin to turn the tide on this crisis. For the first time in our nation's history, 100,000 people overdosed and died from drug use in a one-year period."

She said the money the state will receive from the opioid lawsuit will be used to abate the epidemic in Florida and pay for prevention and treatment programs.

"With these funds, Florida goes on offense to stop this addiction and save lives. This money will be used to abate the opioid crisis and help families and communities heal throughout our state. The funds will undoubtedly save the lives of Floridians," Moody said.

"This is a promise kept to our citizens. Before taking office, I vowed to seek accountability from those who helped fuel the opioid crisis," she said. "In my work as a prosecutor and as a judge, seeing the devastation firsthand, I resigned to be an active player and make sure that redress was afforded to our state and our citizens. I now stand before you today to say that we have successfully accomplished this mission."