Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced a $110 million opioid settlement with Kroger on Thursday.
“For over a decade, Kroger tragically fed the flames of the drug addiction fire that rages across every county of our Commonwealth,” Coleman said at the Life Learning Center (LLC) in Covington, Kentucky.
“But this devastation isn’t the end of the story: Kentucky is resilient, and we get back up, no matter how many times we are knocked down.”
With the settlement, Kroger no longer aligns itself with the problem but with the solution, he said.
LLC President Alecia Webb-Edgington introduced Coleman, stating that the opioid epidemic has taken a devastating toll on the community and praising Coleman’s “tireless commitment” to finding solutions to the problem.
“Righting the wrongs of the past and addressing the root cause of these issues isn’t just important, it’s essential if we want to avoid the repeating cycles of pain and loss,” she said. “At Life Learning Center our mission is clear: everyone deserves the opportunity to create a new life for themselves and their families, but without the dedication of leaders like Attorney General Coleman, our work would be far more difficult.”
Coleman filed a lawsuit against Kroger in February 2024 in which he alleged that the supermarket chain was the source of 444 million doses of opioids that had been distributed throughout the state over 13 years without any monitoring of abuse.
Kroger and its more than 100 pharmacies in the state are responsible for over 11 percent of the opioid pills dispensed in the state from 2006 to 2019, he said.
In the settlement, Kroger denied the allegation that it is liable for the opioid distribution and said that it is agreeing to the settlement to seek a resolution instead of an “adversarial process” that “would require protracted litigation.”
Kroger didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by publication.
Half of the $110 million will be distributed as grants to cities and counties “according to a pre-determined formula” while the other half will go to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission.
Coleman said that last year, the Advisory Commission awarded the LLC up to $500,000 “for a cutting-edge technology system to track real-time data, support and accountability.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to visit several of the other grant recipients in recent months to see the life-changing work happening right now in this Commonwealth,” he said. “It’s truly inspiring, and I encourage all of you to join me in thanking those who have dedicated their lives to helping Kentuckians pursue recovery.”
In November 2024, Kroger agreed to a $1.37 billion opioid settlement with 30 states for its alleged role in contributing to the opioid crisis.
On Nov. 4, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the state will receive up to $42.9 million for “opioid abatement.”
“Today’s settlement with Kroger represents another significant step in Tennessee’s fight against the opioid epidemic,” he said. “By holding accountable those who contributed to this epidemic, Tennessee will obtain settlement funds to address the harms inflicted by opioid abuse on families and communities across the State.”
