The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Law brought in nearly $596 million through recoveries stemming from lawsuits and investigations in 2023. The figure marks an almost 37% uptick from the prior year, according to authorities.

Of that amount, $458.7 million came from New Jersey’s share of nationwide opioid settlements. Other recovered funds resulted from cases spanning a range of categories, including environmental, various types of consumer issues, taxation matters and debt recovery actions, the AG’s office said in a Dec. 17 press release.

The state noted that many of the settlements, including opioid-related ones, resulted from New Jersey’s actions in conjunction with multistate partners.

It also said the $595.9 million figure doesn’t reflect other forms of relief obtained in some of those matters, such as restitution for defrauded consumers or investors, balance forgiveness and debt relief.

The AG’s office highlighted notable 2023 recoveries:

• $458.7 million from pharmacy chains, drug makers and drug distributors for their alleged roles in the opioid substance use disorder epidemic. That sum includes:
  • $131.4 million from CVS Health
  • $142.9 million from Walgreens
  • $74.4 million from Walmart
  • $99.8 million from Teva Pharmaceuticals
  • $59.4 million from Allergan
  • $4.5 million from Mallinckrodt
• $33.6 million from JUUL Labs for the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices.
• $1.2 million from Dollar General to settle allegations the chain repeatedly engaged in merchandise pricing violations at several retail stores across the state.
• $1.2 million from Morgan Stanley to resolve a multistate investigation into two data security incidents that compromised the personal information of 755,592 New Jersey residents.
• $750,000 from EyeMed Vision Care for a data breach affecting more than 52,000 New Jerseyans.
• Over $1 million from software company Blackbaud for its deficient data security practices and inadequate response to a 2020 ransomware event.

The DOL also recorded an $8 million penalty from Newark-based MJ & Sons and related defendants for an illegal statewide dumping scheme, according to the AG’s office.

Separately, litigation-related settlements and judgments the state paid last year totaled $121.5 million. The figure was lower than the $177.4 million paid in 2022 as well as the $196 million paid in 2021.

A relentless pursuit

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin commented, “Every day, my primary focus is protecting our residents. When we go to court, we fight for them. We fight to provide relief for families devastated by the opioid epidemic. We fight for consumers who have been scammed out of their hard-earned dollars. We fight against large corporations who have unlawfully used their power to raise prices on everything from cellphones to Springsteen and Taylor Swift tickets. We fight for kids targeted by large social media companies who knowingly put profits ahead of our kids’ mental health.”

He continued, “I am proud that, thanks to the work of our dedicated attorneys, we have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars back into our residents’ pockets and made them safer in the process.”

Acting DOL Director Michael Walters shared, “The Division of Law is dedicated to protecting New Jersey’s residents by holding accountable those who harm them or deplete the state’s resources.”

Walters took the helm last week after Michael T.G. Long stepped down and returned to private practice.

“Our exceptional legal team is relentless in their pursuit of those who violate our laws or commit other offenses that, if left uncorrected, cause serious damage to New Jersey taxpayers,” Walters added.