Judge Janet Helson issued the ruling Thursday after a nine-week trial. The state argued that Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Haggen and operates more than 200 pharmacies in Washington, dispensed 641 million opioid pills between 2006 and 2022, many of them under circumstances that should have raised red flags.

"This is a victory for the people of the state of Washington," Brown told reporters outside the King County Courthouse. "It is a victory that affirms that when corporations put safety measures at risk, when they do not prioritize their customers, when they are focused not on safety, that they will be held accountable."

According to the attorney general's office, Albertsons filled prescriptions more than 6.5 million times without showing that pharmacists had confirmed doctors wrote them for legitimate medical purposes. State attorneys said company policies actively discouraged pharmacists from doing their due diligence, even though pharmacists are legally required to identify drug diversion and report suspicious orders to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The state cited cases of Albertsons pharmacies dispensing thousands of pills to single customers. In one month, a customer at a Kent pharmacy received more than 5,000 opioid pills. At one store, a family medicine doctor accounted for 60% of all oxycodone dispensed, and the company in some cases did not allow pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions from such "pill mill" doctors, unlike other pharmacies. One store reportedly filled prescriptions for a person known to sell drugs.

Store employees also stole pills, according to the state. A Safeway employee in North Bend reportedly took more than 70,000 opioid pills over two years before being caught. The store agreed in 2017 to temporarily suspend filling controlled substance prescriptions after a federal investigation found it had not notified the DEA of missing hydrocodone tablets until months after learning of the theft. Safeway paid $3 million in that case. Other thefts included 12,000 pills from a Leavenworth pharmacy and 19,000 in Olympia, which the state attributed to lackluster tracking of controlled substances.

Stores were chronically understaffed, leaving overworked pharmacy employees unable to review prescriptions properly, according to evidence presented at trial. One pharmacist warned the company that "mistakes can easily be made to put someone's life at risk," the attorney general's office said.

Albertsons said in a statement that it was "disappointed by the court's ruling and respectfully disagrees with its conclusions."

"We are reviewing the decision closely and will evaluate all available options, including appeal," the company said. "We are proud of our pharmacists and their dedication to the patients and communities they serve, and we will continue to support our customers and communities across Washington through responsible pharmacy operations."

At trial, the company's lawyers argued that doctors were responsible for prescribing opioids more aggressively to treat pain.

Albertsons has faced similar claims elsewhere. In April, the chain agreed to pay $774 million to settle numerous other lawsuits, but Washington did not join that settlement.

"We thought the liability and the accountability that we needed to achieve against Albertsons was greater than the efforts that we were seeing elsewhere," Brown said. "And to have a $900 million verdict that we proved before a judge, I think that really is confirmation of the approach that we took."

The verdict brings Washington's total recoveries from opioid litigation to nearly $2.2 billion for state and local governments, including settlements with manufacturers and distributors. The money is directed toward resources to prevent drug abuse and overdoses. Past settlement funds have been held in the state treasury for transfer to cities and counties.

The case began under now-Gov. Bob Ferguson during his tenure as attorney general. Under Ferguson, the state sued Albertsons and other major grocery chains. Kroger agreed in 2024 to pay Washington $47.5 million, and the state has also signed onto opioid-related settlements with Walmart, Walgreens and CVS, among others.

"Going after the companies responsible for fueling the opioid crisis in our state was a top priority for me as Attorney General," Ferguson wrote on social media Thursday. "I was proud to file this case, and proud to see the Attorney General's Office bring it to trial and win."

It will take time before the $900 million reaches Washington, as Albertsons can appeal Helson's verdict. Opioid overdoses have claimed tens of thousands of lives in the state.