Baltimore City considers new trial or reduced settlement in opioid case
Baltimore city leaders still have not decided whether they will accept a reduced settlement in the case against two major drug companies, despite an August 8th, 2025, deadline given by a Baltimore City judge.
It comes after a jury ruled against the two major drug companies, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, blaming them in large part for the opioid crisis in our city.
According to our media partners at the Baltimore Banner, federal drug dispensing data shows the two companies supplied about 60% of the half a billion opioids that flooded Baltimore and Baltimore County between 2006 and 2019.
A jury ruled that the two companies contributed to the opioid crisis, punishable by a $266 million settlement.
A judge later ruled the jury put too much blame on the companies, and reduced that settlement by about 80 percent, down to $52 million.
The city has already reached settlements from other companies totaling $402.5 million, money that has been placed into a restitution fund to fight the crisis.
In a July 29th public safety committee hearing, Baltimore City Council member Mark Conway said, "I believe that it is integral to the success of our city on this issue to talk about it openly. That we get folks out of the shadows and some of the difficulties and shames that come with addiction to talk about what we're experiencing in our city, if we're ever to reduce first, the number of people that are overdosing and dying. But then also to break the cycle of addiction."
The other option given by the judge is for the city to opt for a new trial.
A statement put out by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in June reads in part, "As the only municipality in the country to secure verdicts against these two companies, which were responsible for the bulk of the opioids flooding into Baltimore, we will continue to fight — just as we have fought for our city every step of the way through this litigation process."
"We have received the court's abatement ruling and are considering all options at this time," the mayor's office wrote in a statement. "We remain committed to securing justice for all Baltimore residents disproportionately impacted by the opioids crisis. We will respond in due time in the appropriate judicial forum."