About 1.6% of counties and other governments across the country have opted out of a class action designed to reach a global settlement over the opioid crisis—a turnout that one lead lawyer called a "landslide endorsement."

According to a report filed late Monday, 541 out of 34,000 governments as of Nov. 27 had opted out of the novel class, approved by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster of the Northern District of Ohio in September.  In response, co-lead counsel have labeled the class notice program a success that "has provided more than adequate notice to members of the negotiation class," according to Monday's filing.

"We're just thrilled. It's a landslide endorsement," said Jayne Conroy, one of two interim co-leads appointed for the class. "What we now have from the plaintiffs' perspective is an enormous group of sophisticated and active decision-makers who have all made a decision to remain in a negotiation class, and we have a way to reach out to them and discuss any potential settlement offers that would come our way. We have a very active, sophisticated and participating group of municipalities, government entities, counties and cities, who can now act as one."