Ohio foundation with $440 million in opioid settlement money must make records public

OneOhio Recovery Foundation, which is charged with distributing $440 million in opioid settlement money, must make its records available to the public, according to a unanimous ruling issued Thursday by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Formed in 2021, the foundation claimed it is a private nonprofit corporation that didn't have to comply with Ohio's open records laws.

Dennis Cauchon, president of Harm Reduction Ohio, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce drug overdose deaths, tried to attend the foundation's first board meeting in May 2022. Even though the meeting was held on state property and organized by government officials, Cauchon was told the public could not attend.

Cauchon, a former journalist, requested meeting minutes but was told those were not public records. He sued.

The court ruled that the foundation is a functional equivalent of a public office and must respond to Cauchon's request.

“The decision doesn’t change things.  Consistent with its mission, the Foundation operates in a transparent fashion and will continue to do so," said its spokeswoman, Connie Luck, in a written statement.

What is OneOhio Foundation?

The $440 million is part of an $808 million settlement reached in 2021 between Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and three major drug distributors that were sued for their role in the opioid crisis.

Local governments will get 30%, the state gets 15% and the remainder goes to OneOhio, which is supposed to give grants and find solutions to the opioid epidemic.