Consumer Protection Division breaks single-year record in recoveries

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - $248.8 million has been recovered for Kansas taxpayers by the Consumer Protection Division in 2022, according to the Kansas Attorney General’s office, that is a new single-year record.

Based on a preliminary accounting tally, the Attorney General’s division has recovered more than four times the previous single-year’s total, which was $61.9 million back in 2017.

“These record-shattering sums our consumer protection team recovered in 2022 reflect the hard work our professionals have maintained throughout my time in office,” Schmidt said. “From the large, complex multistate settlements our office has participated in; to the individual consumers we were able to help with obtaining refunds from businesses that ran afoul of the law, I am incredibly proud of the work our Consumer Protection Division has done these past 12 years.”

The largest 2022 amount recovered for Kansas consumers was $194 million. It was recovered from Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office through multistate settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, claimed by the office to contribute to the opioid crisis. All the money received from those settlements will be used to address substance abuse and provide addiction services for state residents.

Funding will be determined through a grant review board developed by the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, which was proposed by Schmidt and enacted by the 2021 Kansas legislature.

“These recoveries from companies associated with the opioid crisis present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kansas to invest in addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery programs,” Schmidt added. “Kansas has been a key participant in these complex settlements, and I am pleased that many of these cases were able to be resolved and funds secured to help prevent future tragedies.”

According to Derek Schmidt’s office, the total of consumer protection recoveries while Schmidt was in office for 12 years was more than $514 million.