A King County Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered grocery retailer Albertsons to pay Washington $900 million after a bench trial over how its pharmacies handled opioid prescriptions^2,4.

Judge Janet Helson issued the decision following a nine-week non-jury trial in a lawsuit the state attorney general filed in 2022^2,4. Attorney General Nick Brown said the award is believed to be the largest verdict in Washington history².

The state said Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Haggen and operates more than 200 pharmacies in Washington, dispensed 641 million opioid pills in the state between 2006 and 2022². Prosecutors said many of those orders had warning signs that pharmacists were required to investigate before filling them^2,5.

Brown’s office said Albertsons filled prescriptions more than 6.5 million times without showing that pharmacists had confirmed the orders were written for legitimate medical purposes². The Idaho Capital Sun carried the same States Newsroom account¹.

Albertsons said it was disappointed by the ruling and disagrees with the court’s conclusions². The company said it is reviewing the decision and will evaluate options, including an appeal^2,3.

At trial, company lawyers argued that doctors, not pharmacies, were responsible for more aggressive opioid prescribing². KIRO 7, reporting as the trial opened in July, said the state would argue Albertsons violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act⁵.

In April, Albertsons agreed to pay $774 million to settle other opioid lawsuits around the country; Washington did not join that settlement^2,5. Brown said the state sought greater accountability than that national deal².

Washington has obtained nearly $2.2 billion for state and local governments in other opioid cases against manufacturers and distributors in recent years, money earmarked for prevention and overdose response, the Standard reported². The $900 million would not reach the state immediately if Albertsons appeals².

The Idaho Capital Sun noted the case began under then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson, now governor, who said on social media that he was proud the office took the matter to trial¹.