Attorney General Dave Sunday 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 role in fueling an opioid crisis that continues to devastate families and communities across Pennsylvania.
The settlement is subject to court approval, and preliminary figures indicate Pennsylvania will receive up to $212 million from the settlement, with payouts happening over the next 15 years.
“No dollar amount could ever replace what has been lost due to the opioid epidemic, but this settlement will go a long way in bolstering treatment resources and helping Pennsylvanians achieve recovery,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This epidemic, no doubt, was fueled by Purdue Pharma’s manufacturing and deceptive marketing of OxyContin, a highly potent and addictive drug. Dependency on the drug ruined countless lives, while the Sackler family and Purdue made more than $35 billion from its distribution, profiting off of the suffering of others.”
If approved, the settlement will deliver funds to the participating states, local governments - including Newtown Township - affected individuals, and other parties who have previously sued the Sacklers or Purdue.
A significant amount of the settlement funds will be distributed in the first three years, with the Sacklers paying $1.5 billion and Purdue paying nearly $900 million in the first payment, followed by $500 million after one year, an additional $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.
More details...
UPDATE (4/19/2018): Last night I heard a first-hand report from a couple of Council Rock senior students who participated in the walkout. They confirmed that the tables were set up AFTER the students walked out so that when they came back in they could be identified as students and marked for potential disciplinary action. That, of course, never happened. The students I heard from said if there was disciplinary action - such as detention - they would use that occasion to stage another protest. I guess the school was smart to let well enough alone. The seniors also mentioned that the colleges that accepted them sent them letters saying that they would ignore any disciplinary action taken against students for participating in the protest.