The resolution in Greene County accepts the Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan and authorizes Greene County administrator Brandon Huddleson to sign the ballot accepting the plan.
Cheri Stout, an attorney for the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, said the county and townships involved with the lawsuit all received a recommendation to approve the plan.
The money will not be coming soon, said Huddleson.
Greene and Montgomery counties are just a few of the Ohio counties involved in the One Ohio agreement, which is an effort led by Gov. Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost to leverage Ohio’s collective might against the drug industry.
Local governments representing more than 80% of the state’s population signed onto the plan in early 2020, including 73 of 88 counties. The state of Ohio has two lawsuits, which are pending in Ross and Madison counties. More than 150 Ohio local governments have cases consolidated in U.S. District Court before Judge Daniel Polster in Cleveland.
Under the One Ohio agreement, which spells out how money would be divvied up, 11% would be taken off the top for attorney fees and the remaining cash would be divvied up. That results in 30% for local governments, 55% to a new foundation and 15% to the attorney general’s office.
The foundation would be controlled by a 25-member board appointed by state, legislative and local officials. It would spend settlement money to address the opioid epidemic both locally and statewide.
The 118 local jurisdictions signing onto the agreement include the cities of Dayton, Springfield, Middletown and Hamilton and the counties of Butler, Champaign, Clark, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren.
More than 2,600 lawsuits were filed across the U.S. against opioid makers and distributors.
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