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| Government Corruption |
| Sackler family wins immunity from opioid lawsuits |
| 2023-06-01 |
| [BBC] The billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma will be protected from lawsuits linked to the US opioid crisis in exchange for a $6bn (£4.85bn) settlement. Purdue, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid thousands of lawsuits, made drugs like OxyContin and is blamed for fuelling the crisis. On Tuesday, an appeals court ruled that its owners, the Sackler family, would receive full immunity from civil suits. In exchange, they will pay $6bn to help address opioid addiction. A 2021 investigation by the US House Oversight Committee indicated that members of the family, "who have owned a controlling share of Purdue Pharma since 1952, are collectively worth a total of $11bn". The family have long demanded civil immunity, and the court's ruling removes a key barrier to the money being paid out. The payments will be spread over multiple years. Funds will go to local and state governments and is expected to fund rehabilitation programmes and other addiction treatments. Roughly $750m of the settlement will be distributed to individual victims of the opioid crisis and their families. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued the ruling. The details of the settlement have been contested in the courts for several years. Judge Eunice Lee said the claims filed against Purdue Pharma were inextricably linked to the Sackler family. She ruled that if lawsuits were permitted to continue targeting them, Purdue Pharma would not be able to reach a bankruptcy deal. The ruling paves the way for the settlement which must now receive final approval from a court. While it protects the family from any future civil cases, it does not protect them from potential criminal charges. As a part of the settlement the Sackler family will give up ownership of the company, which will be rebranded as Knoa, and send its profits to a fund to help treat addiction. The family has been made to listen to stories of those impacted by the drug as part of the deal. Many of the complainants were state and local governments who alleged OxyContin triggered an opioid epidemic. The family will also allow their name to be removed from buildings and scholarships. Some organisations have already, including the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York, which last year removed the family name from an arts education centre, and the Louvre in Paris, which removed it from a 12-room wing following protests led by US photographer and activist Nan Goldin. Related: Purdue Pharma: 2019-10-09 IDF: Nine Suspects Of Terrorist Activity Arrested In The West Bank Purdue Pharma: 2019-09-22 6 Palestinians Injured In Clashes With IDF In Northern West Bank - Report Purdue Pharma: 2019-08-27 Oklahoma judge rules against drugmaker JNJ, orders $572M payment Related: OxyContin: 2022-12-23 Federal drug agents seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American: 379million potentially fatal doses in 12 months OxyContin: 2022-04-22 Border Town USA: Migrants Busted in Michigan with Mexican Cartel's 20K Fentanyl Pills OxyContin: 2019-08-27 Oklahoma judge rules against drugmaker JNJ, orders $572M payment |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #1 The pariah community adds a family. They can have a Bridge night with Fauci, Bill Gates and Alec Baldwin. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-06-01 10:31 |