Mercer Times

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that New Jersey's civil enforcement efforts in 2023 resulted in nearly $596 million through recoveries from lawsuits and investigations. This amount marks an increase of nearly 37% compared to the previous year.

A significant portion, $458.7 million, was obtained from New Jersey's share of nationwide opioid settlements. Other funds were recovered from cases involving environmental issues, consumer matters, taxation disputes, and debt recovery actions. Many settlements, including those related to opioids, involved collaboration with multistate partners.

The total recovery of $595.9 million does not include other relief forms directly benefiting victims, such as restitution for defrauded consumers or investors and debt relief.

"Every day, my primary focus is protecting our residents," said Attorney General Platkin. "When we go to court, we fight for them... We fight against large corporations who have unlawfully used their power to raise prices on everything from cellphones to Springsteen and Taylor Swift tickets."

Michael C. Walters, Acting Director of the Division of Law, stated: "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."

Among notable recoveries in 2023 were opioid multistate settlements involving companies like CVS Health and CVS Pharmacy ($131.4 million), Walgreens ($142.9 million), Walmart ($74.4 million), Teva Pharmaceuticals ($99.8 million), Allergan ($59.4 million), and Mallinckrodt ($4.5 million).

In consumer recoveries, JUUL paid a full amount settlement related to its marketing practices earlier than expected.

For data breaches, Morgan Stanley resolved a multistate investigation into incidents compromising personal information of over 755,000 New Jersey residents; EyeMed Vision Care addressed a breach affecting more than 52,000 New Jerseyans; another software company settled for its inadequate response to a ransomware event.

An environmental justice settlement saw Newark-based MJ & Sons pay $8 million for an illegal dumping scheme.

Litigation-related settlements paid by the state totaled approximately $121.5 million in 2023.