Overview
- Baltimore’s case, which the Supreme Court of Maryland vacated Friday, now returns to City Circuit Court after a brief order signed by Chief Justice Matthew Fader.
- The court’s notice pointed to a recent ruling that said companies cannot be held liable under public-nuisance law for harms tied to the opioids they made or shipped.
- A Baltimore jury in 2024 found distributors McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, now called Cencora, liable, with a $266 million award later reduced by a judge to $152 million that the city accepted while seeking high-court review.
- Mayor Brandon Scott criticized the ruling as leaving local governments without recourse against corporations, while McKesson said the decision is supported by the law and the record.
- The city still holds hundreds of millions from separate settlements and plans to use its Opioid Restitution Fund for naloxone, mobile treatment, and other harm-reduction programs.