Attorney Hunter Mullens presented commissioners with an opioid lawsuit settlement check. Mullens presented the commission with a check for $599,802.64 from the state distribution of opioid settlement money.
The settlement money comes from lawsuits filed by the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office against opioid manufacturers and distributors, officials said.
Money received from this settlement will be allocated to reimburse counties for financial losses during the height of the opioid epidemic. While part of the funds will be used for reimbursement, the other funds will be used to establish addiction recovery, prevention and treatment programs, officials said.
“There will be other checks after that. As you remember this is 24.5% of what is allocated for Preston County, the other 72.5% went to the first fund down in Charleston, which we could apply for grants for,” Mullens said.
After a long litigation process, West Virginia was able to receive the most funds per capita from the national settlement, he said.
