Food City settles opioid lawsuit

Food City stores have agreed to pay $44.5 million as part of settling a 2021 lawsuit that accused the supermarket chain of unlawful opioid sales at its pharmacies. A total of $1.9 million will go directly to seven Northeast Tennessee counties over the course of the payments. All of those counties are in a group of 38 East Tennessee counties that receive some additional funds due to being within Food City’s market area. Food City also agreed to an array of “injunctive relief” measures designed to curtail future infractions. .Most of the settlement funds will support opioid abatement efforts in East Tennessee. They’ll be administered through the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.