Purdue Pharma’s sentencing in opioids case is imminent, clearing the way for settlement money to flow |
Purdue Pharma’s sentencing in opioids case is imminent, clearing the way for settlement money to flow
The settlement, approved last year, could go into effect on May 1.
FILE – Pills spill in an arrangement photo of prescription Oxycodone in New York. [Photo: Mark Lennihan/AP Photo]
A judge is expected to sentence OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to forfeit $225 million to the Justice Department on Tuesday, clearing the way for the company to finalize a settlement of thousands of lawsuits it faces over its role in the opioid crisis.The penalty was agreed to in a 2020 pact to resolve federal civil and criminal probes it was facing. If the judge signs off, other penalties will not be collected in return for Purdue settling the other lawsuits.After years of legal twists and turns, the settlement was approved by another judge last year and could take effect May 1. It requires members of the Sackler family who own the company to pay up to $7 billion to state, local and Native American tribal governments, some individual victims and others.Here’s a look at the situation.
The sentence was years in the making
Purdue pleaded guilty to three federal criminal charges in November 2020.The Stamford, Connecticut-based company admitted that it did not have an effective program to keep its powerful prescription painkillers from being diverted to the black........