Albertsons must pay $900 million for fueling opioid epidemic in Washington state, judge rules
ACI•A Washington state judge ordered Albertsons to pay $900 million for helping fuel the state’s opioid epidemic. The ruling followed a non-jury trial over alleged pharmacy failures; Albertsons denied wrongdoing.
1. Washington ruling
King County Superior Court Judge Janet Helson ordered Albertsons to pay $900 million after a non-jury trial in a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general in 2022. The state had sought $2.2 billion to address harms from the epidemic, along with additional penalties.
2. Pharmacy allegations
Washington alleged Albertsons pharmacies filled opioid prescriptions more than 6.5 million times from 2006 to 2022 despite red flags that the drugs could be diverted for illicit use. Albertsons operates 200 pharmacies in the state, mostly under the Safeway brand. The company’s lawyers said it sold legal drugs prescribed by doctors and pharmacists did not have to question a doctor’s judgment without a real reason to suspect a prescription was illegitimate.
3. Nationwide settlements
Albertsons announced a $774 million settlement in April to resolve most opioid cases against it nationwide, but Washington continued with its lawsuit. Nationwide settlements in opioid litigation total roughly $58 billion. The state said more than 26,000 Washingtonians have died from opioid overdoses during the epidemic.
