ALBAWABA - A New York appellate court ruled to shield the Sackler family, American billionaires, from current and future lawsuits regarding their involvement in the Purdue Pharma opioid case. The ruling was described as a "victory" for the company.
This decision paves the way for Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, to proceed with their bankruptcy deal. As part of the deal, the family will pay $6 billion in exchange for immunity to help combat the ongoing opioid epidemic. Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
Previously, the family reached settlements with eight states, as well as Washington, D.C., in March of this year. Under the agreement, the Sackler family will allow any organization or institution in the United States to remove their name from buildings, programs, and scholarships. A spokesperson for the company Said "Our focus going forward is providing billions of dollars to compensate victims and addressing the opioid crisis." The ruling also requires the Sackler family to pay around $6 billion to the states, individual plaintiffs, and opioid prevention.
Purdue Pharma introduced the drug OxyContin in the 1990s, claiming it was non-addictive. The company was accused of contributing to the spread of the opioid epidemic in the United States, which resulted in the deaths of over 564,000 people due to overdose between 1999 and 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
