A federal appeals court cleared the way for the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of legal claims tied to the opioid epidemic while shielding the wealthy owners of Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family, from future lawsuits.
The Sacklers have been given immunity from civil lawsuits over the opioid crisis in exchange for $6billion that will go towards treatments for addiction.
In return for the shield, the billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma are committed to paying up to $6 billion to help compensate communities and individuals for the ravages of the opioid epidemic.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday eliminated the main barrier to Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy reorganization plan that shields members of the Sackler family from future lawsuits.