PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes says she is weighing whether to sue Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled legislature over what she says is the illegal diversion of funds the state received in a nationwide settlement with opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies.
Mayes said a new report from the Auditor General’s Office proves what she charged two years ago: A decision to give the dollars to the state Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry violates the terms of the deal that entitles the state to $1.14 billion. That deal requires the state to use its share of the funds to help abate the opioid epidemic, with a majority restricted to programs to prevent future abuse.
Her first lawsuit against the governor and lawmakers in 2024 to void the transfer to the prison system ended with a judge saying she had no evidence the transferred funds were being used in a way that violates the agreement.
