The Attorneys General of three states including Minnesota, Massachusetts and New York are applauding a massive legal settlement reached with Purdue Pharma, the family that runs it, and the company's role in the opioid addiction crisis. It was announced that 15 states agreed to drop the suit in favor of a settlement
Under the agreement, which still needs a judge's approval, the Sackler family will pay $50 million to the state of Minnesota for opioid treatment programs.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said it was clear this was manipulation by Purdue Pharma.
“The Sackler defendants were personally aware of the risks of abuse and addiction with OxyContin as early as 1999,” Ellison said. “They intentionally tried to blame the people they hooked on this drug for their addiction, as they were manipulating to try and get them addicted.”
The $4.3 billion dollar settlement is one of the largest in history. Nearly 5,000 Minnesotans have died as result of opioid addiction since the year 2000.
In 2019, Purdue Pharma reached a settlement, reported to be between $7 billion and $9 billion, with 22 other states and more than 2,000 cities and counties.
“While this deal is not perfect, we are delivering $4.5 billion into communities ravaged by opioids on an accelerated timetable and it gets one of the nation’s most harmful drug dealers out of the opioid business once and for all,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James according to the New York Times.
The lawsuit names both Purdue Pharma and eight members of the Sackler family all of whom personally own, lead, and control Purdue. Each of the defendants has sat on Purdue’s board, and several served as officers of the company.
“The Sackler family controlled Purdue at all times. They were intimately involved in directing Purdue’s deceptive and fraudulent marketing tactics and driving strategies to sell more and more opioids, despite fully knowing the risks to Minnesotans. Their misconduct led directly to damage and death in every community in Minnesota,” Attorney General Ellison said.
A court filing also indicates that $175 million held in Sackler family charities will go toward abating the opioid crisis.