Signs for the CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens pharmacy, and Walmart Supercenter are pictured in file photos. (Photo by Bruce Bennett, Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg, Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) A federal judge in Cleveland awarded $650 million in damages Wednesday to two Ohio counties that sued CVS, Walgreens and Walmart over the way the national pharmacy chains distributed opioids to their communities.U.S.
District Judge Dan Polster said in his ruling that the money will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Lake and Trumbull counties outside Cleveland.
Attorneys for the counties put the total price tag at $3.3 billion for the damage done.The judge admonished the three companies, saying they "squandered the opportunity to present a meaningful plan to abate the nuisance" after proceedings last spring to determine what the counties were owed.Lake County is to receive $306 million over 15 years.
Trumbull County is to receive $344 million over the same period. Polster ordered the companies to immediately fork over nearly $87 million to cover the first two years of payments, but it was unclear whether they had to pay that money during their appeals."Today marks the start of a new day in our fight to end the opioid epidemic," Lake County Commissioner John Hamercheck said in a statement.A jury in November returned a verdict in favor of the counties after a six-week trial.