Shinnecock leaders see 'substantial' benefits from opioid settlement

Shinnecock Nation tribal leaders on Tuesday hailed a landmark $590 million settlement between American Indian tribes, Johnson & Johnson and three major drug distributors in a pact they said will bring "substantial" benefits in dealing with the opioid crisis to the Southampton reservation.

In a conference call Tuesday, Shinnecock tribal chairman Bryan Polite noted the work of former tribal vice chairman Lance Gumbs and current vice chairman Randy King in getting tribes across the Northeast to pursue lawsuits over the opioid crisis, which has caused outsized harm on Indian reservations, they said. Gumbs lost a son, Nakea L. Gumbs, to addiction in 2017.

"I started on it right after my son passed," said Gumbs. "It was a general plea across Indian Country."

According to the Associated Press, Native American tribes have reached settlements over the toll of opioids totaling $590 million with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the country's three largest drug distribution companies.

The filing in U.S. District Court in Cleveland lays out the broad terms of the settlements with Johnson & Johnson and distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, the AP said. Some details are still being hashed out.

All federally recognized tribes in the United States will be able to participate in the settlements, even if they did not sue over opioids. And there could be settlements between other firms in the industry and tribes, many of which have been hit hard by the overdose crisis.

"These funds will go a long way in setting up the mechanisms for us to be able to deal with the nuances of any new drug that may come out, let alone what’s going on right now," Gumbs said. "In the long run this will be a real benefit to our community."

"One of the things I learned in dealing with my son’s issue was the mental health issue that needs to be addressed," Gumbs said. "We have a need for that here in our community. A lot of times people are trying to avoid the issues of their lives by turning to drugs. The mental health aspect of it is just as important as the preventive measures," Gumbs said.

The tribal leaders said law firms and the companies are about three months from determining schedules of payments, which could include an initial lump sum and then payments over two and five years. King and Gumbs noted there are other lawsuits pending and potential settlements expected.

They declined to say how much Shinnecock expected from the settlements, but Gumbs said he expected it to be "substantial." King said the formula for settlements takes into account tribal population, impact on the tribe, overdose rates and service area.

One study cited in the settlement found that Native Americans have had the highest per capita rate of opioid overdose of any population group in 2015, the AP said.

New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson — whose opioids included Duragesic and Nucynta but which has stopped selling opioids — said in a statement Tuesday that the settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing, the AP said. Cardinal Health, based in Columbus, Ohio, declined to comment, and the other distributors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.