By Jess Mancini, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two opioid makers and the West Virginia Attorney General reached an out of court settlement for more than $161.5 million, the state and companies said Wednesday morning.
The agreement was announced prior to the scheduled closing arguments Wednesday in the trial against Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan Finance LLC, now part of AbbVie, before Mercer County Judge Derek Swope in Charleston. Trial started April 4.
“It’s been a long trial and, as we have said from the very beginning, we are looking for accountability,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. “This settlement, along with other settlements we will receive from other cases, will provide significant help to those affected the most by the opioid crisis in West Virginia. I’ve always said that at the end of the day, through our office’s opioid work, West Virginia will have the highest per capita settlement results in the nation fighting for our people.” …
