RESOLUTION NO. 220214

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Authorizing the City Attorney to execute a memorandum of understanding with the State of Missouri to govern the allocation of opioid settlement funds between the state and local governments resulting from certain national opioid litigation settlements.

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WHEREAS, the people of the City of Kansas City (City) and the State of Missouri (State) have been harmed by a national and state-wide opioid epidemic caused, in part, by fraudulent marketing and licit and illicit opioid use and distribution throughout the State of Missouri; and

WHEREAS, the State and the City share a common desire to abate and alleviate the impacts of the opioid epidemic in Missouri; and

WHEREAS, the structure of settlements with certain pharmaceutical supply chain entities currently facing investigations and litigation in Missouri and throughout the country will take the form of national settlement agreements with Missouri receiving a share of the proceeds of those national agreements to abate the opioid crisis within the state; and

WHEREAS, On February 25, 2022, Johnson & Johnson and certain pharmaceutical distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson, as well as their related corporate entities, approved certain national settlements to resolve alleged misconduct in the marketing, promotion, distribution, and dispensing of opioids; and

WHEREAS, Missouri's share of settlement funds from the certain national settlement agreements will be maximized only if all necessary Missouri political subdivisions, including the City, participate; and

WHEREAS, the State and certain of its political subdivisions, including the City, desire to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to maximize and facilitate the distribution of the proceeds of national settlement agreements allocated to Missouri; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

That the City Attorney is authorized to...

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