Insurers Not Liable to Defend McKesson Against Opioid Claims, Calif. Federal Judge Rules

SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge has ruled that two insurers are not required to defend McKesson Corp. against government lawsuits accusing it of fueling the opioid epidemic because they do not allege an “accident” and therefore do not meet the “occurrence” requirement for coverage.

On April 5, Judge Jacqueline S. Corley of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California awarded National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh and ACE Property and Casualty Insurance Co. partial summary judgment on the duty to defend.

In 2017, two Ohio counties, Cuyahoga and Summit, sued McKesson (the “Track One” …