Walmart settles U.S. government opioid lawsuit; terms undisclosed

Walmart has settled a U.S. government lawsuit accusing it of fueling the national opioid epidemic by unlawfully dispensing prescriptions from its pharmacies, with the Justice Department and Walmart confirming the deal but not disclosing its terms. The case, which dates to 2020 and alleges repeated violations of the Controlled Substances Act since 2013, was dismissed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware. The company previously agreed in 2022 to pay $3.1 billion to settle state and local government claims related to its role in the opioid crisis. Health officials note that more than 905,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2025, underscoring the scale of the issue addressed by the settlement. Legal observers say the resolution removes an ongoing overhang for Walmart, though the undisclosed settlement cost clouds the exact impact on earnings. The case was one of the most prominent DOJ actions against a single company over opioids, with other targets including Purdue Pharma and Cencora in the broader landscape.