| Commitments, Contingent Liabilities and Litigation | 6. Commitments, Contingent Liabilities and Litigation Commitments Generic Sourcing Venture with CVS Health In July 2014, we established Red Oak Sourcing, LLC ("Red Oak Sourcing"), a U.S.-based generic pharmaceutical sourcing venture with CVS Health Corporation ("CVS Health") for an initial term of 10 years. Red Oak Sourcing negotiates generic pharmaceutical supply contracts on behalf of its participants. In August 2021, we amended our agreement to extend the term through June 2029. We are required to make quarterly payments to CVS Health for the term of the arrangement. Contingencies New York Opioid Stewardship Act In April 2018, the State of New York passed a budget which included the Opioid Stewardship Act (the "OSA"). The OSA created an aggregate $100 million annual assessment on all manufacturers and distributors licensed to sell or distribute opioids in New York. Under the OSA, each licensed manufacturer and distributor would be required to pay a portion of the assessment based on its share of the total morphine milligram equivalents sold or distributed in New York during the applicable calendar year, beginning in 2017. Subsequently, New York passed a new statute that modified the assessment going forward and limited the OSA to two years (2017 and 2018). We accrue contingencies if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be estimated. During the fiscal year 2023, we recorded $6 million of income to reduce the previously estimated accrual to the invoiced amount for the calendar year 2018 assessment. At June 30, 2023, we had an outstanding liability of $3 million, which was paid in full during first quarter of fiscal year 2024. Legal Proceedings We become involved from time to time in disputes, litigation and regulatory matters. From time to time, we determine that products we distribute, source, manufacture or market do not meet our specifications, regulatory requirements, or published standards. When we or a regulatory agency identify a potential quality or regulatory issue, we investigate and take appropriate corrective action. Such actions have led to product recalls, costs to repair or replace affected products, temporary interruptions in product sales, restrictions on importation, product liability claims and lawsuits and can lead to action by regulators. Even absent an identified regulatory or quality issue or product recall, we can become subject to product liability claims and lawsuits. From time to time, we become aware through employees, internal audits or other parties of possible compliance matters, such as complaints or concerns relating to accounting, internal accounting controls, financial reporting, auditing, or other ethical matters or relating to compliance with laws such as healthcare fraud and abuse, anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws. When we become aware of such possible compliance matters, we investigate internally and take appropriate corrective action. In addition, from time to time, we receive subpoenas or requests for information from various federal or state agencies relating to our business or to the business of a customer, supplier or other industry participants. Internal investigations, subpoenas or requests for information could directly or indirectly lead to the assertion of claims or the commencement of legal proceedings against us or result in sanctions. We have been named from time to time in qui tam actions initiated by private third parties. In such actions, the private parties purport to act on behalf of federal or state governments, allege that false claims have been submitted for payment by the government and may receive an award if their claims are successful. After a private party has filed a qui tam action, the government must investigate the private party's claim and determine whether to intervene in and take control over the litigation. These actions may remain under seal while the government makes this determination. If the government declines to intervene, the private party may nonetheless continue to pursue the litigation on his or her own purporting to act on behalf of the government. We accrue for contingencies related to disputes, litigation and regulatory matters if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Because these matters are inherently unpredictable and unfavorable developments or resolutions can occur, assessing contingencies is highly subjective and requires judgments about future events. We regularly review contingencies to determine whether our accruals and related disclosures are adequate. The amount of ultimate loss may differ from these estimates. We recognize income from the favorable outcome of litigation when we receive the associated cash or assets. We recognize estimated loss contingencies for certain litigation and regulatory matters and income from favorable resolution of litigation in litigation (recoveries)/charges, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of earnings; however, losses and recoveries of lost profits from disputes that occur in the ordinary course of business are included within segment profit. Opioid Lawsuits and Investigations Cardinal Health, other pharmaceutical wholesalers and other participants in the pharmaceutical supply chain have been named as a defendant in lawsuits related to the distribution of opioid pain medications. These lawsuits seek equitable relief and monetary damages based on a variety of legal theories, including various common law claims, such as public nuisance, negligence, unjust enrichment, personal injury, as well as violations of controlled substance laws, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and various other statutes. Plaintiffs in these lawsuits include governmental entities, as well as private parties, such as unions and other health and welfare funds, hospital systems and other healthcare providers, businesses and individuals. We have also received federal grand jury subpoenas issued in connection with investigations being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ"). We have also received civil requests for information, subpoenas and other requests from other DOJ offices. These investigations concern operation of our anti-diversion program, our anti-diversion policies and procedures and distribution of certain controlled substances. We are cooperating with these investigations. We are unable to predict the outcome of any of these investigations. In total, as of September 30, 2023, we have $5.45 billion accrued for these matters, of which $420 million is included in other accrued liabilities and the remainder is included in deferred income taxes and other liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Because loss contingencies are inherently unpredictable and unfavorable developments or resolutions can occur, the assessment is highly subjective and requires judgments about future events. We regularly review these opioid litigation matters to determine whether our accrual is adequate. The amount of ultimate loss may differ materially from this accrual, whether as a result of settlement discussions, a judicial decision or verdict or otherwise, but we are not able to estimate a range of reasonably possible additional losses for these matters. We continue to strongly dispute the allegations made in these lawsuits and none of these agreements is an admission of liability or wrongdoing. Please see below for additional description of these matters. States and Political Subdivisions In February 2022, we along with two other national distributors (collectively, the "Distributors") independently approved a settlement and settlement agreement (the "National Opioid Settlement Agreement") to settle the vast majority of opioid lawsuits and claims brought by states and political subdivisions. This National Opioid Settlement Agreement became effective on April 2, 2022. In addition to the Distributors, parties to the National Opioid Settlement Agreement include 48 states, the District of Columbia and 5 U.S. territories. Over 99 percent of political subdivisions in settling states (by population as calculated under the National Opioid Settlement Agreement) that had brought opioid-related suits against us have chosen to join the National Opioid Settlement Agreement or have had their claims addressed by state legislation (together with settling states and territories, the "Settling Governmental Entities"). As of July 2023, we have paid the Settling Governmental Entities approximately $1.2 billion, and will pay Settling Governmental Entities additional amounts up to $5.2 billion through 2038. The National Opioid Settlement Agreement also includes injunctive relief terms related to Distributors’ controlled substance anti-diversion programs. A monitor is overseeing compliance with these provisions until 2027. In addition, the Distributors are engaging a third-party vendor to act as a clearinghouse for data aggregation and reporting, which Distributors will fund for 10 years. As a result of the National Opioid Settlement Agreement, most lawsuits brought against us by states and other political subdivisions have been dismissed. We continue to engage in resolution discussions with certain nonparticipating political subdivisions, including the Attorney General for the State of Alabama, and intend to defend ourselves vigorously against all remaining lawsuits. A trial involving the Attorney General for the State of Alabama is scheduled to begin in February 2024. Other Settlements West Virginia subdivisions and Native American tribes were not a part of the National Opioid Settlement Agreement, and we had separate settlement negotiations with these groups. In July 2022, a judgment in favor of the Distributors was entered in bench trial before a federal judge in West Virginia in a case brought by Cabell County and City of Huntington. Plaintiffs have appealed this decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In July 2022, the Distributors reached an agreement to settle the opioid-related claims of the majority of the remaining West Virginia subdivisions. Under this agreement, we agreed to pay eligible West Virginia subdivisions up to approximately $124 million over an eleven-year period. This agreement became effective in October 2022 when all participating subdivisions dismissed their cases. In October 2022, we executed a final settlement agreement with the Native American Tribes, pursuant to which we will pay up to approximately $136 million over five years. In connection with this settlement, the court entered dismissals for the Native American tribes cases. Private Plaintiffs The National Opioid Settlement Agreement does not address claims by private parties, which includes unions and other health and welfare funds, hospital systems and other healthcare providers, businesses and individuals alleging personal injury. Lawsuits brought by private plaintiffs that were pending as of October 31, 2023 were 394. Of these, 103 were purported class actions. The causes of action asserted by these plaintiffs are similar to those asserted by public plaintiffs. We are engaged in resolution discussions with certain private plaintiffs; however, we are vigorously defending ourselves in all these matters. A trial in a case involving 21 plaintiffs began in state court in Georgia in January 2023 and concluded in March 2023 with a verdict for the company and other defendants on all claims. In July 2023, the judge denied the plaintiffs' motion for a new trial. Plaintiffs have filed a notice of appeal and defendants have filed a notice of cross-appeal. A trial involving eight hospital plaintiffs that was scheduled to begin in Alabama in July 2023 was stayed pending appellate review of certain issues and has yet to be rescheduled. Insurance Litigation We are involved in ongoing legal proceedings with insurers related to their respective obligations to reimburse us for defense and indemnity costs in connection with the lawsuits described above. During fiscal year 2023, we received approximately $10 million in insurance recoveries related to these matters. Cordis IVC Filter Matters We have been named as a defendant in approximately 450 product liability lawsuits coordinated in Alameda County Superior Court in California involving claims by approximately 5,000 plaintiffs that allege personal injuries associated with the use of inferior vena cava ("IVC") filter products. These lawsuits sought a variety of remedies, including unspecified monetary damages. The divestiture of the Cordis business did not include product liability related to the IVC filters in the U.S. and Canada, which we retained. In April 2023, we executed a settlement agreement that, if certain conditions are satisfied, will resolve 4,375 claims for $275 million. This settlement agreement is subject to certain conditions, including certain opt-in thresholds. Between May and September 2023, we made settlement payments totaling $275 million into a qualified settlement fund, which will be disbursed to the plaintiffs if required conditions are satisfied. Since July 2021, we have also entered into other agreements to settle 2,798 product liability claims. While these settlements will resolve the vast majority of IVC filter product liability claims, they will not resolve all of them, and we intend to continue to vigorously defend ourselves in the remaining lawsuits. Additionally, in August 2021, the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico filed an action against certain IVC filter manufacturers, including us, alleging claims under New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act, Medicaid Fraud Act and Fraud Against Taxpayers Act. The allegations made are similar to those made in the product liability lawsuits. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these claims. We recognized income of $103 million during fiscal year 2023, primarily related to a reduction of the reserve for the estimated settlement and defense costs for these matters due to the execution of the settlements noted above. At September 30, 2023, we had a total of $304 million accrued for losses and legal defense costs, related to the IVC filter product liability lawsuits in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Shareholder Securities Litigation In August 2019, the Louisiana Sheriffs' Pension & Relief Fund filed a purported class action complaint against Cardinal Health and certain current and former officers and employees in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio purportedly on behalf of all purchasers of our common shares between March 2015 and May 2018. In June 2020, the court appointed 1199 SEIU Health Care Employees Pension Fund as lead plaintiff and a consolidated amended complaint was filed in September 2020. The amended complaint alleged that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") by making misrepresentations and omissions related to the acquisition and integration of the Cordis business and inventory and supply chain problems within the Cordis business and sought to recover unspecified damages and equitable relief for the alleged misstatements and omissions. The complaint also alleged that one of the individual defendants violated Section 20A of the Exchange Act because he sold shares of Cardinal Health stock during the time period. In February 2023, we reached an agreement in principle with the plaintiff to settle this matter for $109 million, with the settlement amount to be fully funded by our insurance carriers, subject to final approval by the court. In September 2023, the court entered an order granting final approval and dismissed the case. In fiscal year 2023, we had received approximately $9 million in insurance recoveries for costs incurred in connection with this matter. Other Civil Litigation Generic Pharmaceutical Pricing Antitrust Litigation In December 2019, pharmaceutical distributors including us were added as defendants in a civil class action lawsuit filed by indirect purchasers of generic drugs, such as hospitals and retail pharmacies. The indirect purchaser case is part of a multidistrict litigation consisting of multiple individual class action matters consolidated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The indirect purchaser plaintiffs allege that pharmaceutical distributors encouraged manufacturers to increase prices, provided anti-competitive pricing information to manufacturers and improperly engaged in customer allocation. In May 2020, the court granted our motion to dismiss. In July 2022, the indirect purchasers filed an amended complaint and in August 2022, we filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint. We are vigorously defending ourselves in this matter. Antitrust Litigation Proceeds We received and recognized income resulting from settlements of lawsuits in which we were a class member or plaintiff of $41 million, which were recognized in litigation (recoveries)/charges, net, during the three months ended September 30, 2023. |
