Ohio
Ohio Supreme Court sides with pharmacies in appeal of $650 million opioid judgment
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state’s product liability law prohibits counties from bringing public nuisance claims against national pharmaceutical chains as they did as part of national opioid litigation, a decision that could overturn a $650 million judgment against the pharmacies.
An attorney for the counties called the decision “devastating.”
Justices were largely unanimous in their interpretation of an arcane disagreement over the state law, which had emerged in a lawsuit brought by Lake and Trumbull counties outside Cleveland against CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
The counties won their initial lawsuit — and were awarded $650 million in damages by a federal judge in 2022 — but the pharmacies had disputed the court’s reading of the Ohio Product Liability Act, which they said protected them from such sanctions.
In an opinion written by Justice Joseph Deters, the court found that Ohio state lawmakers intended the law to prevent “all common law product liability causes of action” — even if they don’t seek compensatory damages but merely “equitable relief” for the communities.
“The plain language of the OPLA abrogates product-liability claims, including product-related public-nuisance claims seeking equitable relief,” he wrote. “We are constrained to interpret the statute as written, not according to our own personal policy preferences.”
Two of the Republican-dominated court’s Democratic justices disagreed on that one point, while concurring on the rest of the judgment.
“Any award to abate a public nuisance like the opioid epidemic would certainly be substantial in size and scope, given that the claimed nuisance is both long-lasting and widespread,” Justice Melody Stewart wrote in an opinion joined by Justice Michael Donnelly. “But just because an abatement award is of substantial size and scope does not mean it transforms it into a compensatory-damages award.”
In a statement, the plaintiffs’ co-liaison counsel in the national opioid litigation, Peter Weinberger, of the Cleveland-based law firm Spangenberg Shibley & Liber, lamented the decision.
“This ruling will have a devastating impact on communities and their ability to police corporate misconduct,” he said. “We have used public nuisance claims across the country to obtain nearly $60 billion in opioid settlements, including nearly $1 billion in Ohio alone, and the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling undermines the very legal basis that drove this result.”
But Weinberger said Tuesday’s ruling would not be the end, and that communities would continue to fight “through other legal avenues.”
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding all responsible parties to account as this litigation continues nationwide,” he said.
In his 2022 ruling, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said that the money awarded to Lake and Trump counties would be used to the fight the opioid crisis. Attorneys at the time put the total price tag at $3.3 billion for the damage done.
Lake County was to receive $306 million over 15 years. Trumbull County was to receive $344 million over the same period. Nearly $87 million was to be paid immediately to cover the first two years of payments.
A jury returned a verdict in favor of the counties in November 2021, after a six-week trial. It was then left to the judge to decide how much the counties should receive. He heard testimony the next May to determine damages.
The counties convinced the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication. It was the first time pharmacy companies completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans since 1999.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Thousands of people are expected to head to downtown Columbus for the 23rd annual Home Improvement Show this weekend.
Organizers say visitors can find ideas for everything from small interior design projects to major renovations.
The event is being held at the Ohio Expo Center and includes seminars, exhibits and demonstrations from local and national companies.
The show begins at noon Friday and runs until 6 p.m.
It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Adult tickets cost $5 at the door.
Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.
But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.
“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”
Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.
He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.
“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”
Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.
The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.
The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.
Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.
“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.
But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.
“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
Gahanna Lincoln High’s principal shares thoughts on new building
Principal Jessica Williams speaks about the new Gahanna Lincoln High School on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Gahanna, Ohio.
Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?
On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.
However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.
Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.
Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.
“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”
Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.
“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”
Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?
The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.
The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.
The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.
Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):
- Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
- Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
- Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
- Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
- Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
- Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
- Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
- Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
- Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
- Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
- Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
- Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
- Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
- Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
- Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
- South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
- Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
- Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
- Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
- Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
- Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
- London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
- Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
- Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
- Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
- Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
- Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
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