Welcome to Law.com Class Actions: Critical Mass, a weekly briefing for class action and mass tort attorneys.

This week: CVS and Walgreens agreed to pay $10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits. A federal appeals court refused to weigh in on U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria's controversial 2021 holding criticizing common benefit fees. Cantex Health Care Center brought in this law firm in nine lawsuits brought on behalf of residents who died from COVID-19 at its skilled nursing facility in New Mexico.

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Walgreens pharmacy in Baltimore, MD. August 11, 2020. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

After Walgreens and CVS, Are More Opioid Settlements Likely?

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and CVS Pharmacy Inc. agreed to pay about $10 billion to settle opioids lawsuits. Here's my wrap-up on the settlements, which, as has been the case for several large opioids deals, depend on a "critical mass" of participating cities, counties and states. In fact, Joe Rice (Motley Rice), lead plaintiff attorney in the opioid multidistrict litigation, told me: "We've got a long way to go to get finalized."