CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is continuing his criticism of a proposed settlement involving Johnson & Johnson and opioid wholesale distributors related to the drug crisis.
Morrisey on Friday announced his opposition to the $22 billion agreement, in which Johnson & Johnson would be responsible for $4 billion.
On Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline,” Morrisey said there are two criteria for determining if a deal is best for West Virginia.
“What’s the appropriate penalty for all of the incredible harm they have opposed on the state,” he said. “Second, we look at how you actually use the dollars to abate the very drug epidemic that we’re fighting.”
Morrisey is also critical of the current allocation formula, noting smaller states like West Virginia will not be compensated fairly if the deal happened.
“West Virginia was the hardest-hit state in the nation. I’m holding out to say the funds need to be used for abatement and focus on the severely hit states at a minimum of a lot more than what they currently are,” he said.
Morrisey said he wants a trial to take place in West Virginia, with that trial possibly beginning this summer.
“We remain open-minded to fixing the problems from this proposed settlement,” he added.