Washington Attorney General’s Office begins trial Monday, July 13, against Albertsons Company, alleging that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis across Washington State.
In a press release on Sunday, the Attorney General’s office said it intends to hold the pharmacy company accountable for “failing in their responsibility to help prevent the misuse of opioids.”
The suit comes after Albertsons paid $774 million in a national settlement earlier this year to resolve thousands of cases alleging the company perpetuated the addiction crises across the country.
According to the office, the pharmacy company “repeatedly” failed to address warnings that indicated opioid orders filled at their stores may have been misused or diverted to the illicit drug market.
The office alleges that the company made these choices despite having access to data indicating problematic providers, prescriptions, and drugs. In doing so, the AG’s office said it will argue Albertsons violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s manual, pharmacists have a responsibility under state and federal law to identify and resolve these red flags.
“Between 2006 and 2022, Albertsons dispensed more than 641 million opioid pills into Washington, most of which had red flags that weren’t cleared before they were dispensed,” the Office of the Attorney General said in the statement.
According to the office, concerns about prescriptions or patient behavior that could have indicated drug abuse or participation in illegal drug sales were overlooked in order to profit from the additional distribution of opioids.
“At its peak, Albertsons dispensed enough pills for every senior, adult, child, and baby every year to have half a dozen pain pills every year for over a decade,” Attorney General Nick Brown said.
According to the office, More than 26,000 Washingtonians have died from an opioid overdose, and approximately 10 times that number have misused or become addicted to opioids.
According to the Washington State Health Department, 2,284 people died from an opioid overdose in the state in 2025. As of July 415 people have died in 2026.
“Albertsons’ failures in dispensing and distributing those pills tore apart families, stole the lives of loved ones across our state,” the office said in the statement.
According to the Attorney General, the company’s negligence in the distribution of opioids can also be connected to the spike in addiction to and death from stronger, cheaper opioid class drugs like heroin or fentanyl.
The office said in the press release that Albertsons’ documents acknowledge that 4 of 5 new heroin users began with prescription pills.
The consequences of addiction are not only felt by active users. The office of the attorney general said that in 2023 alone, dozens of Washington children died or nearly died from accidental opioid ingestion.
At trial, the AG’s office said it will present evidence that Albertsons’s corporate policies prioritized profits over patient and customer safety.
The office said Albertsons discouraged its pharmacists from identifying doctors who may have been overprescribing or writing suspicious prescriptions.
The state said it will call dozens of witnesses to prove that Albertsons’ policies and practices contributed to the opioid crisis, which has “devasted families and communities,”.
The office said that the trial is set to last through September and will take place in King County Superior Court before Judge Janet Helson.
In the press release, the office said the company “had devastating impacts on local communities, and put immense strain on public resources. They must be held accountable.”