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Attorney General Clark Announces $7.4 Billion National Settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family for Fueling the Opioid Crisis

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January 23, 2025

Sackler Family Will Pay Up To $6.5 Billion Over 15 Years; Purdue Will Pay Nearly $900 Million On Court Approval

Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties have reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc. for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis. Purdue, under the Sacklers’ leadership, invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States and will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs.

The $7.4 billion settlement in principle, the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis, comes after the United States Supreme Court overturned a prior multistate settlement with the Sacklers and Purdue in June 2024. The prior settlement, which included the Sacklers’ contribution of up to $6 billion, occurred after the Vermont Attorney General and eight other attorneys general objected to the Sacklers’ $4.5 billion settlement contribution approved by the Bankruptcy Court.

General Clark’s current settlement efforts have resulted in an important benefit for Vermont: Vermont will receive its payment of over $22 million immediately rather than being paid over 18 years as was the case in the previous settlement.

“The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma are responsible for fueling the opioid crisis, which has devastated Vermont communities and touched virtually every family,” said Attorney General Clark. “While this settlement is a huge victory, it will never bring back the countless lives lost and relationships destroyed by this epidemic.”

If approved by the bankruptcy court, the settlement will deliver funds to the participating states like Vermont, local governments, affected individuals, and other parties who have previously sued the Sacklers or Purdue.

If approved, the settlement will make public more than 30 million documents related to Purdue and the Sacklers’ opioid business. The document repository will now also contain documents relating to compliance with the 2007 State Attorneys General Consent Judgments, and after six years will make public documents subject to the waiver of privilege.

Members of the Sackler family included in the settlement in principle include the eight heirs of Purdue founders Raymond and Mortimer Sackler who served on the Board of Purdue: Richard, Kathe, Mortimer Jr., Ilene, David, and Theresa Sackler; and the estates of Jonathan and Beverly Sackler. In addition, their associated trusts, advisers, and most of their children and heirs are also included.

Joining Attorney General Clark in securing the settlement in principle are the attorneys general of New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

 

 

CONTACT:   Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171