CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The city of Charleston will enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state and other West Virginia municipalities related to ongoing litigation regarding the opioid crisis.
The Charleston City Council voted Monday to allow city officials to enter the agreement.
Multiple government offices are pursuing legal actions against drug companies for allegedly fueling the opioid crisis in West Virginia. Under the proposed memorandum of understanding, Charleston would receive 6.1% of the allocation reserved to cities and municipalities.
“It’s anticipated that several billion dollars will either come from litigation or settlements of the major opioid distributors, manufacturers and even some of the major pharmacy chains through their distribution of opioids,” Finance Committee Chairman Joseph Jenkins said.
The proposed agreement is based on the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy proceedings. The company and its owners, the Sackler family, agreed earlier this month to a $6 billion settlement in a lawsuit involving nine states.