That’s the annoying takeaway from a newly approved bankruptcy settlement that will let the most notorious drug pushers in history, who got the country hooked on painkillers that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, get immunity from future lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic they helped create.
Not everyone has bought into the deal and it will certainly face appeals in court.
For now, the Sackler family, whose company Purdue Pharma developed and pushed OxyContin, which it said was not addictive, and made them billionaires in the process, will pay money — $4.3 billion for individual payments to victims of opioids and addition programs.
But the family itself won’t suffer much. Their current wealth may exceed $11 billion, according to Forbes. One issue here is the wealth they’ve extracted from the company is hidden in a bramble of companies, trusts and real estate. Read more details on the bankruptcy deal here.
Other companies, including Johnson & Johnson could also agree to settlements, perhaps worth far more money. But it’s Purdue and the Sacklers most linked to the opioid crisis.
Who supports this deal? In addition to the company’s creditors, it was signed off on by a federal bankruptcy judge in New York. It also has grudging support from most state governments, who want to make sure the Sacklers pay something, even if they are immune from future lawsuits.
Who opposes the deal? Nine…
