Kroger has agreed to pay more than $1 billion in opioid settlement fees for its alleged role in the opioid crisis.
The supermarket chain announced on Friday plans to pay up to $1.4 billion to U.S. states, counties and municipalities in settlement of thousands of lawsuits that claim Korger helped fuel the nationwide opioid epidemic.
In addition to the $1.2 billion paid to the aformentioned group, Kroger will pay $36 million to Native American tribes and $177 million in legal fees over an 11-year period.
"This is an important milestone in the Company's efforts to resolve the pending opioid litigation and support abatement efforts," the company said in a press release. "Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety."
Kroger continued by maintaining that their agreement to settle is "not an admission of wrongdoing."
"This settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability by Kroger and Kroger will continue to vigorously defend against any other claims and lawsuits relating to opioids that the final agreement does not resolve," the statement read.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 564,000 people died from overdoses involving opioids from 1999 to 2020.
The news follows previous settlements of opioid lawsuits by CVS, Walgreens, and Johnson & Johnson.
