A multi-million dollar settlement between the State of Louisiana and the nation’s largest distributors of opioids has been announced and Evangeline Parish and other parishes will benefit from the settlement. The dollar figure, according to Attorney General Jeff Landry, is over $325 million and is part of a broader settlement reached between the opioid companies and other attorneys general across the country.
As a result, Evangeline Parish will receive .79% of the funds which translates to approximately $2,567,500 total. The parish will receive an annual amount of approximately $142,638.89 over an 18-year period. By comparison, Allen Parish will receive approximately $1,495,000 based on 0.46% (approximately $83,055.56 yearly); Avoyelles will receive approximately $2,730,000 based on 0.84% (approximately $152,666.67 yearly); and St. Landry will receive approximately $6,012,500 based on 1.85% (approximately $334,027.78 yearly). Each parish must deduct the fees and expenses off the top before applying the parishes percentages which will lower the amount each parish will receive yearly. The complex formula was based on population, number of opioids prescriptions and the number of overdose deaths in that area.
The Ville Platte Gazette received an exclusive copy of the memorandum of understanding that states, in part, 20% of the funds shall go to the sheriff’s office and the remaining 80% shall go to other local governments in the parish.
Digger Earles, of the Laborde and Earles law firm, was the attorney who filed the first opioid lawsuit in the state and who negotiated the settlement, said, “This money is not going into the general fund of political subdivisions.”
Earles represented Evangeline Parish along with Allen, Avoyelles and several other parishes across the state. Earles filed the first lawsuit in the state several years ago in the parishes he represent. Since then there have been several other lawsuits filed by attorneys. Earles represents many of the parishes and sheriffs throughout the state.
He added more funds could be coming to each parish but those lawsuits against larger pharmaceutical companies are still being heard in the courts and not settled.
He explained there is a “can-use list” outlining how the money can be spent in each parish.
Earles went on to say, “I am very proud that in the deal we negotiated with the state that 100% of the money in Louisiana will go to the parishes and sheriffs and 0% to the state’s general fund. This is the best deal in the country as other states are taking as much as 90% and only giving the local governments 10%. The biggest impact occurs at the local level rather than being tied up in red tape at the state level. This settlement will provide funding for local governments to combat the opioid epidemic. It won’t go to fix potholes and things of that nature.”
According to Landry, the money has to be spent “in accordance with specific criteria outlined in a memorandum of understanding that we agreed upon.”
“About four years ago,” Landry said, “I was fortunate to join a bipartisan executive committee of attorneys general cast with negotiating this settlement. Across the table from us were the giants in the pharmaceutical arena.”
He continued, “From the beginning, our objective was 100% of the funds received needed to go directly to assisting those affected by addictions.”
Landry did not want the settlement funds to be “diluted by bureaucratic red tape and functions of government” and did not want it to go to parks or potholes.
“I wanted to make sure this money went to help us beat this crisis,” Landry said. “That meant these funds were not to be used to subsidize presently available programs, rather they will be used as an additional resource.”
The funds, as Landry described, will go directly to the political subdivisions across the state to provide better treatment and recovery options for those affected by addiction.
