PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos admits she was a little “skeptical” about seeing victory in opioid litigation.
But Hoos says she felt so strongly about those lawsuits, filed in 2020, that she did all the legwork herself and did not outsource the work.
“I knew at the end of the day if I didn’t try, then we’d be no worse off, I knew it would be my time,” Hoos said. “It wouldn’t cost the county anything, it wouldn’t cost my civil division anything, it would be my time.”
Hoos made that statement at a press conference Wednesday morning at the Peoria County Courthouse, where she announced the county received $1,111,193 in settlement money from the litigation. The county will also receive an additional $3,086,841 over the next 14 years.
Hoos says the county argued the companies used unfair and deceptive practices to increase opioid prescriptions, and used incentives to increase sales. Some of the companies she listed involved in the lawsuits include Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, Cardinal Health, CVS, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, and Walgreen.
“Too many individuals have struggled with opioid addiction, and too many companies chose to do nothing about it. Those companies are now paying a price, and we’re using their profits to combat the opioid crisis,” Hoos said.
Hoos says one reason she did not believe the county would win was the belief that the cases would have been tied up in legal paperwork for decades. She says the quick settlement means the companies “knew what they were doing.”
Hoos says the money will be used to help fund programs to combat opioid addiction in Peoria County. Some of the potential ways can include recovery and addiction programs, as well as funding prevention education programs.
She says the first purchase made with the money is for the R1 Learning System App for those going through Peoria County Drug Court. The app provides clinical services, chances to chat with people, and helps each participant go through the steps needed to complete the program.
Hoos says the goal is to help those who got in trouble with the law through an addiction get back on their feet with minimal jail time.
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