Walmart settles opioid lawsuit brought by Justice Department

Walmart reached an agreement with the U.S. government on Friday to settle a lawsuit that accused the discount retailer of unlawfully dispensing opioids from its pharmacies.

“We are pleased to resolve this matter and will continue supporting the exceptional work our pharmacists do every day to provide outstanding patient care,” a Walmart spokesperson said in an email to CBS News. 

The Justice Department acknowledged the settlement in a separate statement. “We will continue to hold accountable companies and individuals whose unlawful prescribing, marketing, dispensing or distributing practices contributed to the opioid crisis and put American communities at risk,” a department spokesperson said.

Walmart and the Justice Department did not disclose the settlement amount.

The Justice Department sued Walmart in December 2020, alleging the company violated the Controlled Substances Act by filling thousands of invalid prescriptions and failing to report suspicious drug orders. Federal prosecutors alleged Walmart’s actions contributed to the opioid epidemic, a period spanning from 1999 to 2023 during which over 800,000 people died from opioid overdoses.

The lawsuit came after a multiyear investigation by the Justice Department. If Walmart was held liable, it would have been forced to pay $67,627 for each unlawful prescription it filled and $15,691 for each suspicious order it failed to report, according to the Justice Department. 

Walmart’s website says it has nearly 4,600 pharmacies nationwide, where it fills prescriptions for generic drugs, insulin, GLP-1 medications and other drugs.