A judge could advance Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement after all 50 states back it
Share and Follow


All 50 U.S. states have agreed to the OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma ’s latest plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids.

A judge on Wednesday is being asked to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on it.

Government entities, emergency room doctors, insurers, families of children born into withdrawal from the powerful prescription painkiller, individual victims and their families and others would have until Sept. 30 to vote on whether to accept the deal, which calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years.

If approved, the settlement would be among the largest in a wave of lawsuits over the past decade as governments and others sought to hold drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies accountable for the opioid epidemic that started rising in the years after OxyContin hit the market in 1996. The other settlements together are worth about $50 billion, and most of the money is to be used to combat the crisis.

In the early 2000s, most opioid deaths were linked to prescription drugs, including OxyContin. Since then, heroin and then illicitly produced fentanyl became the biggest killers. In some years, the class of drugs was linked to more than 80,000 deaths, but that number dropped sharply last year.

The request of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane comes about a year after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a previous version of Purdue’s proposed settlement. The court found it was improper that the earlier iteration would have protected members of the Sackler family from lawsuits over opioids, even though they themselves were not filing for bankruptcy protection.

Under the reworked plan hammered out with lawyers for state and local governments and others, groups that don’t opt in to the settlement would still have the right to sue members of the wealthy family whose name once adorned museum galleries around the world and programs at several prestigious U.S. universities.

Under the plan, the Sackler family members would give up ownership of Purdue. They resigned from the company’s board and stopped receiving distributions from its funds before the company’s initial bankruptcy filing in 2019. The remaining entity would get a new name and its profits would be dedicated to battling the epidemic.

Most of the money would go to state and local governments to address the nation’s addiction and overdose crisis, but potentially more than $850 million would go directly to individual victims. That makes it different from the other major settlements.

The payouts would not begin until after a hearing scheduled for Nov. 10, during which Lane is to be asked to approve the entire plan if enough of the affected parties agree.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Karen Read's bold media blitz might be working as jury zeroes in on lesser charge: expert

Karen Read’s bold media blitz might be working as jury zeroes in on lesser charge: expert

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Were Karen Read’s unorthodox…
Schumer: More money needed for senators’ security after Minnesota shootings

Schumer calls for increased funding for security of senators in light of Minnesota shootings

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday that Congress needs…
Florida man convicted of posing as flight attendant to get dozens of free flights

Florida man convicted of posing as flight attendant to get dozens of free flights

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A South Florida man…
Signs Brad Pitt is 'floundering' in his relationship with Ines

Indicators that Brad Pitt is struggling in his relationship with Ines

Brad Pitt and his girlfriend made a rare appearance on the red carpet…
Filthy secrets of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard wedding finally exposed

“Revealing Secrets of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Wedding Unveiled”

It was meant to be the most magical day of their lives.…
Trump moves Greenland military installation under US Northern Command in Arctic power shift

Trump moves Greenland military installation under US Northern Command in Arctic power shift

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! In a strategic move,…
Charles Barkley cameos on Stanley Cup pregame broadcast

“Charles Barkley Makes Special Appearance on Stanley Cup Pregame Broadcast”

Despite his lack of skating experience, Charles Barkley still provided pregame analysis…
How a veteran is helping rescue Americans from Israel

Assisting in the rescue of Americans from Israel: A veteran’s contribution.

() Army and Navy veteran Bryan Stern and his nonprofit, the “Grey…