"States vow to fight Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that shields Sacklers from opioid lawsuits", 1 Sept 2021

At least two states and Washington, D.C., are preparing appeals over a bankruptcy plan for the maker of OxyContin that would shield Sackler family owners from future lawsuits.

Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin, was dissolved … in the settlement that will require members of the Sackler family to spend billions to address the deadly opioid epidemic.

The attorneys general for Connecticut, Washington state and Washington, D.C., said it requires the Sackler family to pay $4.3 billion to states and municipalities over nine years — while they say the Sackler family made at least $11 billion in profits as the opioid epidemic raged.

The plan, which Purdue Pharma values at more than $10 billion, dissolves the drugmaker and shifts assets to a new company not controlled by Sackler family members. It also sets up a compensation fund that will pay some victims of drugs an expected $3,500 to $48,000 each.

The drugmaker itself will be reorganized into a new charity-oriented company with a board appointed by public officials and will funnel its profits into government-led efforts to prevent and treat addiction.

The agreement also includes legal releases shielding Sackler family members from future opioid litigation, a provision that some states opposed…

Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid an onslaught of litigation. Roughly 3,000 lawsuits nationwide sought to pin blame on Purdue and Sackler family members for contributing to a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of about 500,000 people since 1999…

Overall, the company resolved U.S. Justice Department criminal and civil investigations that carried penalties and other claims exceeding $8 billion. Much of that money, though, went unpaid due to factors in Purdue's bankruptcy case.