This week, a nearly $600 million settlement was reached between Indigenous nations and four drug distribution companies.
The settlement came down out of the U.S. District Court in Cleveland where many of the county's opioid cases are held. The $590 million will be split between 574 federally recognized tribes for social programs related to opioid addiction.
Eastern Shoshone Tribe Chairman John St. Clair said in a press statement, “These 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.”
Funds from the lawsuit will be paid out over several years. The drug companies involved are Johnson and Johnson, McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc, and AmerisourceBergen Corporation.
The settlement will officially move forward when 95 percent of tribes on the lawsuit agree to the conditions.
