Walmart will pay $50 million to settle a U.S. government lawsuit accusing the nation's largest retailer of fueling a nationwide opioid epidemic by unlawfully dispensing prescriptions from its pharmacies, the Department of Justice said on Friday.
The settlement stems from a 2020 complaint in which the Justice Department accused Arkansas-based Walmart of repeatedly violating the federal Controlled Substances Act since 2013. Specifically, Walmart settled claims that it filled thousands of invalid prescriptions at its pharmacies at the height of the opioid epidemic.
The resolution is part of a broader effort to hold retailers and pharmacists accountable for their roles in the opioid epidemic. The Justice Department and Walmart have confirmed the settlement.