Kentucky reaches $110 million deal with Kroger to settle opioid lawsuit

Source: ABC News/AP

January 9, 2025, 1:10 PM


Kentucky will receive $110 million to settle its lawsuit accusing one of the nation’s largest grocery chains of helping fuel the opioid epidemic, the state's attorney general said Thursday.

The state will use the money it is getting in its settlement with The Kroger Co. to combat an addiction that has ravaged communities and given the state some of the nation’s highest overdose death rates.

“This massive grocery chain that asked for our trust and our business allowed the fire of addiction to spread across the commonwealth, leaving pain and leaving so much brokenness in its aftermath,” Attorney General Russell Coleman said in announcing the settlement.

With Kentucky putting the settlement money toward prevention and recovery efforts, the company has "agreed to become part of the solution,” the Republican attorney general added. Kroger, a leading grocery chain in Kentucky, didn't immediately respond to a Thursday email seeking comment.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/kentucky-reaches-110-million-deal-kroger-settle-opioid-117516436