For the past several months, CGMC has been working with the Attorney General’s Office, League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), Association of Minnesota Counties and other stakeholders to determine how to distribute Minnesota’s share of the nationwide opioid settlement funds. We are pleased to report an agreement has been reached. To learn more about the details of the agreement and how cities can participate in the settlement, we encourage you to participate in a webinar that LMC is holding at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9.

Cities with populations over 10,000 play a critical role in ensuring that Minnesota receives the maximum amount of funding under several national settlement agreements. If your city has more than 10,000 residents, we strongly encourage you to attend the webinar and to pass a resolution opting into the settlement

Details on Opioids Settlement Webinar

The League of Minnesota Cities will host a live webinar on Thursday, Dec. 9 to discuss the settlement. Panelists will include Attorney General Keith Ellison, LMC Executive Director David Unmacht, and CGMC lobbyist Elizabeth Wefel. Pat Beatty, general counsel for LMC, will moderate.

During this free webinar, attendees will:

  • Discuss the settlement distribution memorandum of agreement and why it’s important
  • Understand how the agreement came to be and why it’s good for Minnesota
  • Discover important next steps for cities with different populations

You can register here. If you have questions for the presenters, you can submit them to us ahead of the live broadcast by email (lmcwebinar@lmc.org) on or before 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 9. You will be able to submit questions during the webinar as well.

Background on lawsuits and why your city should opt in

The opioid epidemic has had a devastating impact on families and communities across Minnesota and the nation. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and a handful of Minnesota local governments have sued several of the manufacturers and distributors of these drugs. To date, Minnesota is participating in at least six different settlements against opioid manufacturers and distributors, though not all details have been finalized.

One of the largest settlements, against a group of distributors and Johnson and Johnson, is structured so that the amount of funding the state receives depends on how many local governments above a population of 10,000 opt-in to the settlement and forgo the opportunity to bring a lawsuit in the future. The more cities that opt-in, the more money that will be distributed in Minnesota. More details on how and why to opt-in will be included in Thursday’s opioids settlement webinar.

If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Wefel at eawefel@flaherty-hood.com.