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State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
This page provides information for California cities and counties regarding the National Opioids Settlements. Multistate settlements with pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen (collectively, the Distributors), and with manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its parent company Johnson & Johnson (together, J&J), were memorialized in court judgments in April 2022 and May 2022, respectively. Proposed multistate settlements with opioid manufacturers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS (collectively, the Pharmacies) are currently pending. The deadline to join these proposed settlements with Teva, Allergan, and the Pharmacies is April 18, 2023. You can find additional information listed on the frequently asked questions page and on the National Opioids Settlements website at https://nationalopioidsettlement.com.
The Distributors and J&J Settlements:
The Distributors and J&J settlements are expected to provide substantial funds for the abatement of the opioid epidemic in California and throughout the United States, and require that the companies change the way they conduct their businesses. Copies of the Distributors and J&J judgments, including the settlement documents are linked here:
The Proposed Teva and Allergan Settlements:
The Teva and Allergan settlements, if agreed to and adopted by both the states and by eligible cities and counties nationwide, are expected to provide substantial funds for the abatement of the opioid epidemic in California and throughout the United States, and will require changes in the way that the settling defendants conduct their businesses. These settlements build on the existing framework that states and subdivisions have created through the Distributors and J&J settlements. Copies of the proposed Teva and Allergan settlement documents are available here:
Eligible cities and counties that wish to participate must join both the Teva Settlement Agreement and Allergan Settlement Agreement, or neither.
The Proposed Pharmacies Settlements:
The proposed Walgreens, Walmart and CVS settlements, if agreed to and adopted by both the states and by eligible cities and counties nationwide, are expected to provide substantial funds for the abatement of the opioid epidemic in California and throughout the United States, and will require changes in the way that the Pharmacies conduct their business. These settlements build on the existing framework that states and subdivisions have created through the other opioid settlements. Copies of the proposed Walgreens, Walmart and CVS settlement documents are available here:
The Distributors and J&J:
California, and counsel representing a group of cities and counties, reached agreement on the allocation of recoveries that California receives pursuant to the Distributors and J&J settlements. These agreements were formally adopted through the sign-on process for the Distributors and J&J settlements. Acceptance of the applicable state subdivision agreement regarding allocation was a condition of a city or county joining either or both of these settlements.
Copies of the Distributors and J&J allocation agreements, which became final through court ordered judgments, are available here:
Teva, Allergan, and the Pharmacies:
California, and counsel representing a group of cities and counties, have reached similar agreements on the allocation of recoveries that California may receive pursuant to the Teva, Allergan, Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS settlements.
Copies of these proposed allocation agreements are available here:
These agreements will be formally adopted through the sign-on process for the settlements. Acceptance of the applicable State Subdivision Agreement on allocation is a condition of a city or county joining these settlements.
Eligible cities and counties should have received notice from the national settlement administrator regarding these five proposed settlements. We anticipate the sign-on materials for these five settlements, including the State Subdivision Agreements, will be sent by the end of February. Cities and counties that wish to join the settlements must communicate that decision to the administrator by signing a participation form by April 18, 2023.
If your city or county did not receive this notice, please email opioidsettlement-localgovernment@doj.ca.gov.
Attorneys advising cities or counties regarding participation in these settlements should make arrangements for client approval of the settlements no later than the April 18, 2023 sign-on deadline.
Cities or counties that have questions regarding the settlements should contact their respective city attorney/county counsel or outside counsel representing your city/county on opioid-related matters. You may also contact our office via email to OpioidSettlement-LocalGovernment@doj.ca.gov. For information on how to contact our office with other requests go to https://oag.ca.gov/contact.