Washington Judge Orders Albertsons $900 Million Opioid Judgment

A King County Superior Court judge ordered Albertsons to pay Washington $900 million, plus fees and costs, ruling that its pharmacies failed to adequately address warning signs that opioid prescriptions could be misused or diverted. The state said Albertsons dispensed more than 641 million opioid pills in Washington from 2006 to 2022 and failed to investigate red flags in millions of prescriptions; it plans to use the money for treatment and prevention. Albertsons denied wrongdoing, arguing its pharmacies filled prescriptions legally issued by physicians. Washington pursued its case separately after Albertsons agreed to a $774 million nationwide settlement covering most other opioid claims, and had sought about $2.2 billion in the state trial.