New Jersey entered nationwide multistate settlements totaling $20.1 billion with pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, and drug makers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan to resolve claims involving their alleged roles in fomenting the country’s opioid crisis. New Jersey (including its eligible county and municipal governments) stands to receive approximately $508.1 million from all five settlement agreements. Among other things, these settlements will provide funding to support programs that address the opioid epidemic in New Jersey and across the country, and will require significant changes in the pharmaceutical industry aimed at preventing similar crises in the future.
The Environmental Enforcement and Environmental Justice Section (EEEJ) continued its aggressive efforts to require polluters to pay NRD on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection. EEEJ obtained the largest single-site NRD recovery for New Jersey to date when it settled with Solvay. The settlement resolves DEP’s legal claims against Solvay for widespread environmental contamination by emerging toxic chemicals of concern, including PFAS and other hazardous substances discharged at Solvay’s West Deptford manufacturing plant. The settlement requires Solvay to remediate the site and make financial commitments totaling $392.7 million, including payment of $75 million in NRDs. Solvay is also required to further investigate and address certain PFAS.
The Transportation, Construction and Condemnation (TCC) Section was instrumental in assisting the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) with its $3 billion capital program, which includes road and bridge construction projects; the acquisition of real estate parcels needed for the projects; multimodal investments; pavement rehabilitation, reconstruction and resurfacing; and local aid for municipalities and counties. The TCC Section provided a range of services for NJDOT, such as counseling regarding condemnation, agreements, procurement and claims, and representing NJDOT in litigation.
