Yost settles lawsuit with opioid consultant

Submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has agreed to a settlement with McKinsey & Co. that will pour more than $24 million into communities to help combat the devastating effects of an opioid epidemic that has ripped apart communities and families throughout the state.

The money is part of a $573 million national settlement encompassing 47 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories that consulting firm McKinsey agreed to pay for its role in fueling the opioid crisis by promoting and profiting from it.

Under the settlement terms, Ohio will receive $20 million this year and $4.7 million spread over the next four years to help remediate the harm caused by the opioid epidemic.

“Twenty-four and a half million dollars won’t cure the opioid crisis, but it can be a start toward bringing treatment and services to people in need,” Yost said. “With consultation from Gov. DeWine, the plan is to lead by example and put the lion’s share of this money into the OneOhio Recovery Foundation so it can be put to work across Ohio.”

OneOhio, a partnership between Governor DeWine, AG Yost and local governments, provides a transparent mechanism for the distribution and use of certain opioid settlement funds. A key element of the OneOhio plan is the establishment of a not-for-profit foundation that will focus resources toward regional programming aimed at combatting the opioid crisis.

“While no amount of money will ever be enough to make up for the devastation caused by putting profits ahead of people’s lives, the settlement announced today is another step toward loosening the grip that addiction has on our state and helping Ohioans recover,” Gov. DeWine said.

The settlement with McKinsey is the latest action taken by Attorney General Yost’s office to combat the opioid epidemic and to hold accountable those who are responsible for creating and fueling the crisis.

The settlement, however, does not mean that the opioid epidemic and its ripple effects are dissipating in Ohio.

In fact, Yost recently announced a record surge in opioid overdose deaths in Ohio after his Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE) analyzed newly available data.