The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners has voted to move forward with the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, which stands accused of ignoring the improper use of opioid drugs.
Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a resolution to work directly with Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. Carr to resolve the lawsuit and accept allocated settlement funds.
(READ MORE: Cities wracked by opioids close to getting $26 billion settlement)
Commission chair Jevin Jensen said the county does not yet know the exact dollar amount it will receive in the settlement, though it is expected to be around $2 million.
“That amount is dependent on how many counties pass similar resolutions and, of course, that is then divided up based on population, but our rough estimate is $2 million,” he said during the meeting on Tuesday. “That’s what we expect to receive, but we will determine the exact amount in the coming months.”