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Purdue Pharma has just agreed to a landmark $7.4 billion opioid settlement following years of litigation with attorneys general from across the US. The pharmaceutical giant and the Sackler Family, who own and control the company, have been widely implicated in the opioid crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The Supreme Court Weighs In
This is the second time the Purdue Pharma opioid settlement has reached the Supreme Court. In 2024, the Court struck down a Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement that would have required the family and Purdue to pay out more than $4.5 billion but given the Sacklers broad immunity from any civil lawsuits related to the case. In a 5-4 vote, the Court decided that the Sacklers could not receive that liability protection.
Under the family’s leadership, Purdue has manufactured and marketed a range of opioid pain medications for decades. Their product line includes OxyContin, a well-known painkiller that can be heavily addictive.
In their efforts to turn a profit, the attorneys general say that the Sacklers relentlessly promoted OxyContin, failing to consider the long-term implications of prescribing the drug to such a degree. These actions, they explain, have greatly contributed to the opioid epidemic and the rising number of overdoses across the U.S.
A Nationwide Call for Justice
To date, the Purdue Pharma opioid settlement involves 39 states as well as five territories and Washington, D.C. Its total value is now $7.4 billion. Each state will receive its own payout with expected values ranging from $75 million for Colorado to as much as $440 million for California.
If the lawsuit is approved, the payouts will take place over 15 years. Purdue Pharma would fall into bankruptcy and would be unable to market or lobby opioids again. Instead, a board of trustees appointed by the states in the lawsuit would oversee and control the company.
The states plan to use the opioid settlement money to help reverse opioid use, compensate victims, and deliver life saving therapies for opioid use disorder. Money can’t buy back the lives lost to the disease of addiction, but for families and affected individuals, it’s a major step in a new, healing direction.
If you or someone you love is experiencing opioid dependency, there is hope. Call
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