Calhoun could see opioid payout based on model
Gordon County could get more than $100,000 in a settlement with Purdue Pharma.
DWagner@RN-T.com
Gordon County, at $1.87 per resident, would see a total of $103,917 if it joins the national settlement offered in the opioid case against Purdue Pharma, based on a model using an expected $1 billion payout to cities and counties.
The county would get $70,791 of that; Calhoun would get $31,061; and the $2,066 left would go to Fairmount, Plainville, Ranger and Resaca.
Six neighboring Northwest Georgia counties would see anywhere from $57,888 to $243,185 to help mitigate the effects of the OxyContin crisis.
Floyd County would get a total of $237,429, whereas Cobb County would get more than $1.25 million.
Andy Davis — an attorney leading the class-action lawsuit filed by Rome, Floyd and several nearby jurisdictions — said Tuesday that officials will soon begin getting notices about the proposed settlement.
“They can be part of the negotiation class or they can opt out ... Action has to be taken on the negotiation class before Nov. 22,” Davis said.
He said that, “things are so fluid right now, with the media coverage of leaks,” but he would be scheduling discussions with officials in the cities and counties he represents.
Their decisions won’t affect the rest of the defendants in the ongoing Multi District Litigation case underway in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Ohio.
“The remaining defendants are still heading for trial,” Davis said.
Federal lawsuits filed by more than 2,000 cities and counties were consolidated in late 2017 into an MDL and assigned to District Judge Dan Polster in Ohio. Using several bellwether cases, he’ll decide the issues of law for them all.
The defendants include numerous opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. The Rome/ Floyd action — filed jointly with Chattooga County, Cartersville and Whitfield County — does not name any pharmacies.
Polster approved Purdue Pharma’s proposed class action notice program last week, ruling that it meets the requirements for a defendant to be removed from the MDL suit. Davis said the judge has repeatedly encouraged the litigating attorneys from all sides to find a way to settle.
“... the Court hopes (this) will directly or indirectly facilitate the voluntary, fair, adequate and reasonable resolution of the cities’ and counties’ claims pending in these MDL No. 2804 proceedings and in related state court litigation,” Polster’s order reads.
Under the settlement allocation model, three factors were used to weigh the harm each county has absorbed and determine their slice of a potential payout.
“They calculated the amount of opioids distributed within the county, the number of opioid deaths and the number of people who suffer opioid-use disorder,” Davis said.
Cities and counties would be able to determine how they’d share the money, but the model includes default calculations in case any participants fail to come to an agreement.
Polk County’s share, which translates into funding of $3.03 per resident, indicates it likely took the biggest hit in the region.
Polk would get a total of $124,430. The default division would be $77,915 for the county government; $28,255 for Cedartown and $17,038 for Rockmart. Aragon, Braswell and Taylorsville would split the remaining $1,223.
Floyd County’s $237,429 equals $2.47 per resident. The county would get $171,121; Rome would get $64,901; and Cave Spring would get $1,407.
Chattooga County would get a total of $57,888, equal to $2.26 per resident. The county government’s share would be $39,781; Summerville would get $12,791; and Trion would get the bulk of the remaining $5,317 shared with Menlo and Lyerly.
Bartow County’s $2.42 per resident translates into $243,185. The county would get $177,344 and Cartersville would get $52,198. Adairsville and the other five cities would share the remaining $13,643.
Walker County would get $147,510, equal to $2.15 per resident. The county’s share would be $120,650 and LaFayette would see $13,717. The cities of Rossville, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Fort Oglethorpe would split the remaining $13,143.
Catoosa County’s impact was calculated at $3 per resident for a total of $194,282. The county would get $152,276; Ringgold would get $10,221; and Fort Oglethorpe would get another $31,786 because it spans the Catoosa and Walker border.
Cobb County’s $1,250,881 is equal to $1.77 per resident. The county would get $1,009,192 and Marietta would get $128,323.
Smyrna’s share would be $46,449; Kennesaw would get $25,235; and Acworth would get $17,625. The remaining $24,059 would be split between Powder Springs and Austell. Roswell’s $37,946 would come from Fulton County’s allocation.