Skepticism of the proposed opioid settlement

Private settlements of mass torts and other public, large-scale dangers are often criticized as “backroom deals” that favor defendants and courts but not the plaintiffs. The proposed settlement from the maker of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is no different. State and local officials want more money and accountability.

“We owe it to families in Massachusetts and across the country to hold Purdue . . . accountable, ensure that the evidence of what they did is made public, and make them pay for the damage they have caused,” Massachusetts Attorney General said in a statement.

“Over the past few years, nearly every state and about 2,000 local and tribal governments have sued over the toll of the opioid epidemic. Purdue is a defendant in most of the lawsuits and members of the Sackler family are named in several, including lawsuits filed by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Nevada in state courts.”

“In Delbarton, West Virginia, Mayor Elmer Spence’s son and nephew are two of the more than 400,000 people in the U.S. who have died from opioid overdoses since 2000. If Purdue’s offer of a settlement is accepted, the town would receive less than $50,000.”

“That’s a drop in the bucket for what it’s really cost this community,” he said of a crisis that has driven up costs for police, ambulances and courts.

He said residents in the town of roughly 500 people have grown accustomed to losing loved ones: “I mean it’s really a slap in the face.”

The full article can be found here.

Jeff Trueman