Sacklers Refuse to Settle Opioid Lawsuits Without Immunity
David Sackler, grandson of one of the brothers who nearly 70 years ago bought the company that later became Purdue, has stated that Purdue Pharma won’t contribute billions of dollars to a legal settlement unless they get off the hook for all current and future lawsuits over the company’s activities.
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David Sackler, grandson of one of the brothers who nearly 70 years ago bought the company that later became Purdue, has stated that Purdue Pharma won’t contribute billions of dollars to a legal settlement unless they get off the hook for all current and future lawsuits over the company’s activities, reports the Associated Press. The U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, nine states and the District of Columbia are objecting to the company’s settlement plan largely because it would grant legal protection to members of the wealthy Sackler family even though none of them are declaring bankruptcy themselves.
“We need a release that’s sufficient to get our goals accomplished,” Sackler said in response to questions from a lawyer for the U.S. bankruptcy trustee. “If the release fails to do that, we will not support it.” Denying that the family had any legal accountability for the epidemic caused by the drugs, because the company marketed an opioid, Sackler said, “we bear moral responsibility to try to help, and that’s what this settlement is designed to do.”
