MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Commission voted Wednesday to opt out of a nationwide opioid lawsuit over concerns about the settlement the county would receive.
The lawsuit would distribute any settlement money between at least 34.000 municipalities.
Commissioner Sean Sikora said the commission is watching the outcomes of cases involving Huntington and Cleveland before making any future decisions.
Sikora noted a mass settlement could favor larger cities rather than areas hit hard by the opioid crisis.
“If they were to forward and have a settlement we would be locked in,” he said. “Instead, we’ve opted to let the court run its course.”
More than half of West Virginia’s counties are expected to opt out of the settlement. The deadline to do so is Nov. 22.