A bipartisan coalition of states has reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their former company Purdue Pharma over their role in the opioid crisis.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark says under the Sacklers’ leadership Purdue invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, which caused addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement is the largest to date and comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a prior multistate settlement.
If approved, Vermont will receive an immediate payment of over $22 million. It will also make public more than 30 million documents related to the Sacklers’ and Purdue’s opioid business.
Other states involved in the settlement include New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, California, Colorado, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
