Sackler family agrees to $7.4 billion settlement over Purdue Pharma's role in spreading OxyContin and fueling the opioid crisis

By arseniotoledo // 2025-01-27

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with the attorneys general of 14 other states, announced a $7.4 billion bipartisan settlement with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma for their role in fueling the opioid crisis.
The settlement strips the Sacklers of their ownership of Purdue, bans the company from selling opioids, sets up a new state-appointed board for the company and allocates funds over 15 years for addiction programs nationwide.
$6.5 billion of the settlement will come from the Sackler fortune and $900 million will come from Purdue, and a portion of the settlement will be set aside for future lawsuits and settlements.
Critics, including West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, expressed frustration over the lack of criminal charges against the Sacklers, who deny wrongdoing and claim the lawsuits lack merit.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday, Jan. 23, that a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties has reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma, for their central role in fueling the opioid crisis. The agreement, one of the largest settlements in American history involving individuals responsible for a public health crisis, marks a pivotal moment in the decades-long legal battle over Purdue's aggressive marketing of OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller linked to widespread addiction and overdose deaths. (Related: DOJ sues Walgreens for allegedly filling millions of illegitimate prescriptions for opioids.) The settlement, which requires court approval, will strip the Sacklers of their ownership of Purdue and bar the company from selling opioids in the United States. The settlement money will also be allocated over 15 years to fund addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs all over the country. The deal replaces a previous settlement overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2024, which had shielded the Sacklers from civil lawsuits. "For years, I have aggressively worked to hold Purdue Pharma and other corporations accountable for their roles in creating and exacerbating the deadly opioid crisis that harmed so many Americans," said Paxton. "While nothing can restore the damage done, this settlement will provide Texans valuable resources to help prevent more opioid abuse. It was an honor to help lead these negotiations and I will never stop ensuring that justice is secured for those affected." Paxton was joined in securing the settlement in principle by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

OxyContin has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives

The opioid crisis, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since OxyContin hit the market in 1996, has been described as one of the most devastating public health disasters in U.S. history. Purdue, under the Sacklers' leadership, aggressively marketed the drug while downplaying its addictive risks, targeting doctors and patients alike. The new settlement secured by Paxton and the other attorneys general includes up to $6.5 billion from the family fortune of the Sacklers and nearly $900 million from Purdue Pharma. The settlement also sets aside between $800 to $850 million to victims of the opioid crisis or their surviving family members. Additionally, another $800 million is reserved for future settlements if new lawsuits arise against the Sacklers. "Everything in my life is shaped by a company that put profits over human lives," said Kara Trainor, a Michigan woman who became addicted to opioids after being prescribed OxyContin for a back injury 23 years ago. "While no amount of money will ever fully repair the damage they caused, this massive influx of funds will bring resources to communities in need so that we can heal," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who praised the deal, calling it a step toward accountability. “This is about families impacted by this crisis. And this is about a group of people and a family that are among the most notorious wrongdoers … and we are holding them accountable,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. However, West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, whose state has been among the hardest hit by the crisis, expressed frustration for the Sacklers who still will not see any criminal charges slapped against them. "While West Virginians' lives were being destroyed by opioid addiction, the Sacklers were cashing in every time someone got hooked – getting rich with no regard to the toll their drugs were taking on people, families and our communities," he said. Not all states have signed on to the deal. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown’s office is still reviewing the agreement, a spokesperson said. The Sacklers, who have stepped down from Purdue’s board and have not taken distributions from the company since its 2019 bankruptcy filing, have consistently denied wrongdoing. In an October 2024 court filing, one branch of the family vowed to defend itself against lawsuits, calling the legal theory behind the claims “utterly devoid of merits.” The settlement, if approved, would transform Purdue into a new entity with a board appointed by states and other plaintiffs. It would also end the Sacklers' control of the company and their ability to profit from opioids. Watch this short documentary detailing the long history of how the Sackler family helped destroy the United States by fueling the opioid crisis. This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

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OxyContin has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives

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