Stay up to date with the latest news from Rhode Island’s attorney general. Read more below about the Office’s recent efforts to tackle the ongoing opioid crisis in the state.
Photo Courtesy of RI Capitol TV
AG Neronha, State and Municipal Leaders Announce Settlement with Opioid Distributors
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, joined by Governor Daniel J. McKee, announced Jan. 25 that Rhode Island will join the national opioid settlement with three major opioid distributors that will provide over $90 million in funding for state and local efforts to address Rhode Island’s opioid crisis.
A brief timeline of Rhode Island’s opioid litigation
2018: RIAG filed a lawsuit against the country’s largest opioid distributors and manufacturers seeking to hold them accountable for the role they played in creating and fueling the opioid crisis in Rhode Island.
2018: Then-Lt. Governor McKee organized dozens of municipalities to file suit against the manufacturers and distributors that made the opioid epidemic possible.
2019: Purdue Pharma, filed for bankruptcy, effectively pausing the Attorney General’s lawsuit against both Purdue and the Sackler family.
July 19, 2021: AG Neronha and eight other attorneys general objected to a proposed settlement with Purdue and the Sacklers on the grounds that it was insufficient and that it provided for bankruptcy protection to the Sacklers, even though they did not file for bankruptcy and have never fully accounted for their assets.
December 16, 2021: U.S. District Judge rejected the bankruptcy settlement. That decision has been appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
March 2022: Trial set against generic drug maker Teva entities.
