Rite Aid Insurer Off Hook for Opioid-Suit Cost, Court Says (2)

Rite Aid Corp.’s insurer, Chubb Ltd., won’t have to pay the cost of defending the pharmacy chain against lawsuits alleging it mishandled addictive opioid painkillers, an appeals court.

The Delaware Supreme Court on Monday, in a 4-1 ruling, overturned a lower court finding that the language of Rite Aid’s insurance policies required Chubb units to cover the liability. States and municipalities across the U.S. sued the chain, along with other pharmacy owners, drug makers and distributors, seeking to recoup costs associated the opioid epidemic.

But the appeals court said the lower court erred because “public nuisance” lawsuits seeking ...