Insurer Not Required to Defend Opioid Distributor Against Government Lawsuits, Ohio High Court Rules

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A majority of the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that an insurer is not required to defend a drug distributor against government lawsuits accusing it of contributing to the opioid crisis because the actions do not seek damages for bodily injury, but rather allege economic losses.

In a Sept. 7 opinion, the court further found the policies, issued by Acuity, “require more than a tenuous connection between the damages sought and the bodily injury.”

Masters was named as a defendant in in several lawsuits brought by cities and counties in West Virginia, Michigan, and Nevada, which accused …