MACo Appoints Seven to AG’s Opioid Settlement Workgroup

On Friday, November 5th, MACo submitted the names of seven county officials to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office to participate in the Johnson and Johnson opioid settlement workgroup. The workgroup is a partnership between the Attorney General, MACo, and the Maryland Municipal league to both discuss the current settlement proposal and mutually agree on potential revisions.

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (source: Maryland Manual Online)

MACo’s appointments include:

  • James R. Benjamin, Jr., County Attorney, Baltimore County
  • Hamilton F. Tyler, Deputy County Attorney, Anne Arundel County Office of Law
  • Anthony LaDana, Esq., Assistant County Attorney, Harford County Law Department
  • Stewart Barroll, County Attorney, Caroline County (Cookerly & Barroll, LLC)
  • Randy Guy, Commissioner President, St. Mary’s County
  • Gary Kuc, County Solicitor, Howard County Office of Law
  • Sarah Gross, Chief of Affirmative Litigation Division, Baltimore City Law Department

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced the Johnson and Johnson opioid settlement, which also includes the three largest opioid medication distributors, on September 9th. The total settlement is potentially worth over $500 million and is subject to change depending on how many counties and municipalities join. Local jurisdictions have until January 2, 2022 to decide.

Several local jurisdictions, including St. Mary’s and Allegany Counties, have expressed concern over the proposed settlement terms, which are thought to provide too little to smaller jurisdictions. In multiple meetings, including MACo’s Legislative Committee Meeting on October 27th, Attorney General Frosh said the terms of the settlement are flexible and suggested a workgroup to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

At this year’s MACo Winter Conference, panelists during the “Righting a Wrong: Leveraging Opioid Settlement Funds to Heal Maryland” presentation will be discussing Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh’s proposed opioid medication settlement with Johnson and Johnson, and how the funds from this settlement can help fight the epidemic.

Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: