BALTIMORE, MD—The city of Baltimore has signed onto a $7.2 million statewide settlement with Walmart over its role in the opioid crisis that has devastated communities across the country, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Thursday.

The settlement is the result of a lawsuit filed by the city in 2018 against several manufacturers and distributors who allegedly downplayed the risk of opioid painkillers and marketed them recklessly.

Walmart, which has not operated in the city since 2016, agreed to pay the settlement over its role in perpetuating the deadly epidemic in Baltimore, one of the hardest-hit cities in the country.

“The opioid epidemic, which was directly brought on by corporate greed and irresponsibility, has been disastrous for our great city and has plagued communities across the country,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “Walmart has reached this settlement in an effort to rectify the damage it has done, and with these funds, our city will be able to invest more in addressing the ongoing problem of opioids here in Baltimore.”

The city of Baltimore declined to sign on to other global settlements offered by defendants in the case, saying the settlement with Walmart was commensurate with its small market share in the opioid market.

A trial in the case is scheduled to begin in September. The city has already received $1.01 million from a separate settlement with the Mallinckrodt bankruptcy settlement, which was announced in November 2023.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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