The amount designated for Texas was part of a $3.1 billion settlement for more than a dozen states.
AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a planned settlement with Walmart concerning the retailer’s role in the opioid epidemic.
Paxton said the total settlement was for $3.1 billion, with more than $168 million designated for Texas.
“The opioid epidemic has had devastating impacts on millions of Americans, and we are hopeful that we will reach a final agreement on all terms to ensure that Walmart is held responsible for their role in it,” Paxton said in part.
This new agreement is the latest the attorney general has secured for the state. According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Paxton has secured about $2.4 billion for the state from opioid settlements with other drug companies and retailers.
In a different July 2022 preliminary settlement agreement with opioid makers, Paxton and other attorneys general secured billions of dollars in financial compensation along with an agreement that Teva, an opioid maker, would also provide Naloxone to address the ongoing opioid crisis. That’s a drug used to reverse the effects of overdoses.
According to a release from the Attorney General’s Office, Teva would provide up to $1.2 billion in naloxone over a 10-year period or $240 million in cash instead of the product.
The two recent multi-billion dollar settlements were part of an effort from a bipartisan group of attorneys general from more than a dozen states across the United States.