Attorney General James Distributes First Funds from Historic Opioid Settlements to Central New York
Syracuse and Central New York Counties Receive Over $6.3 Million in First Round of Payments
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today distributed the first round of payments from the opioid settlements to counties in Central New York and Syracuse. In 2022, Central New York will receive a total of $6.3 million, with more than $3.7 million going to Onondaga County and more than $260,000 going to Syracuse. These funds are the result of the $1.5 billion that Attorney General James has secured so far for New York state as a result of settlements with the manufacturers and distributors of opioids. All 62 counties and the five largest cities in the state will begin receiving funds this week, which will be used for opioid treatment and prevention efforts. Central New York will receive up to $36.8 million in total over the years as part of these settlements.
“Central New York has been devastated by the effects of opioids, but today we are distributing funds to the region to help with treatment and prevention,” said Attorney General James. “These funds will go a long way in helping communities rebuild from the opioid epidemic. While no amount of money will ever make up for all those we have lost to this crisis, these funds are vital in helping us recover.”
“Counties are on the frontline when it comes to battling this horrific opioid epidemic. But we can’t do it without sufficient resources and partners.” said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon. “Thank you to Attorney General James for her commitment to holding these pharmaceutical companies accountable and delivering the resources directly to the counties so we can continue our work. Together, we will help those suffering from this horrible addiction and disease.”
“The impacts of opioid abuse can be seen all over cities: in vacant houses, broken families, homeless shelters, and treatment centers,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “The city of Syracuse joined the legal fight against opioid manufacturers and distributors because they need to be held accountable. The proceeds of these settlements will help provide the much-needed resources to help those dealing with the legacy of this crisis. Working with our community and government partners, we will make sure this settlement payment, and the others coming, go towards helping those suffering as well as helping prevent future misuse. I thank Attorney General James for leading New York’s effort to secure these settlement payments and ensuring they get to local communities.”
Today’s payments are the first of many to Central New York to combat the opioid crisis. The first payments come from settlements with opioid distributors — AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and McKesson Corporation. Later this year, Central New York counties and Syracuse will receive additional payments from the settlements with Endo Health Solutions, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Allergan. In addition, counties and cities will receive funds from the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund, which is managed by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS).
The breakdown of the funds that will be distributed in 2022 is below.
Central New York Total: $6,304,808
- City of Syracuse: $263,422
- Cayuga County: $538,933
- Cortland County: $322,716
- Madison County: $483,503
- Onondaga County: $3,771,991
- Oswego County: $924,241
In October 2021, Attorney General James visited the Pomeroy Treatment Center at Crouse Health in Syracuse as part of her statewide ‘HealNY’ tour, where she announced that she will deliver up to $36.8 million to the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County, and other counties in Central New York to help local residents recover from the opioid epidemic.
In March 2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit to hold accountable the various manufacturers and distributors responsible for the opioid epidemic. The manufacturers named in the complaint included Purdue Pharma and its affiliates, as well as members of the Sackler Family (owners of Purdue) and trusts they control; Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates (including its parent company Johnson & Johnson); Mallinckrodt LLC and its affiliates; Endo Health Solutions and its affiliates; and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and its affiliates. The distributors named in the complaint were McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, and Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc.
In December 2021, Attorney General James scored a court victory against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA after a jury found the company and its affiliates liable for violating New Yorkers’ rights. A subsequent trial will now be held to determine how much Teva and others will be required to pay, which will be added to the up to $1.5 billion Attorney General James has already secured for the state of New York from different opioid manufacturers and distributors.
In July 2021, Attorney General James secured a settlement with McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen that will deliver up to $1 billion to New York state to combat the opioid epidemic.
In June 2021, Attorney General James announced a settlement that will deliver $230 to New York and end Johnson & Johnson’s sale of opioids nationwide.
The cases against Mallinckrodt, Purdue Pharma, and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now moving separately through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The settlements were brought about by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy, Senior Advisor and Special Counsel M. Umair Khan, Director of Legal Initiatives Erica Gilles, Assistant Attorneys General Conor Duffy, Carol Hunt, Noah Popp, and Special Counsel Andy Amer. The trial work was done by Senior Enforcement Counsel John Oleske and Special Counsel Monica Hanna, as well as Assistant Attorneys General Conor Duffy, Diane Johnston, Eve Woodin, Leo O’Toole, Jeremy Pfetsch, Jennifer Simcovitch, Larry Reina, Michael Reisman, Lois Saldana, Louis Testa, Stephanie Torre, and Wil Handley; Paralegals Ketty Dautruche and Christine Reynolds; Legal Assistant David Payne; Director of Research and Analytics Jonathan Werberg; Data Scientist Gautam Sisodia; Data Analyst Anushua Choudhury; Information Technology Specialists Hewson Chen and Paige Podolny; E-Discovery Document Review Specialist Kristin Petrella; and former Counsel for Opioids and Impact Litigation David Nachman.