Wisconsin Health News

Wisconsin could see more than $65 million for opioid abatement efforts through a settlement with the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma that’s pending approval before a bankruptcy court. 

Attorney General Josh Kaul said the plan maximizes the amount Wisconsin will be able to recover. Kaul filed  suit against the company two years ago.

 “We’ve fought to get every dollar we can from Purdue and the Sacklers to help with the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Kaul said in a statement. “We opposed Purdue’s original bankruptcy plan, and we joined other states in negotiating for more resources to address the epidemic. Because of that multistate effort, the bankruptcy plan has improved.”

Kaul said the process has also revealed a need to reform the bankruptcy system. “It’s shameful that the Sackler family is using that process to limit their liability and that billions more can’t be recovered from them,” he added.

The state’s share of funding is around 1.8 percent of the $4.3 billion that would be paid over the next nine years. Thousands of victims would also receive compensation. 

The plan permanently bans the Sacklers from the opioid business, with Purdue being sold or wound down by the end of 2024. 

 The Sacklers would also have to relinquish control of family foundations holding $175 million in assets to trustees of a foundation dedicated to abating the opioid crisis. 

They couldn’t request or permit any new naming rights in connection with charitable or similar donations or organizations for the next nine years. 

 Purdue and the Sacklers would have to make public more than 30 million documents, including attorney-client privileged communications about the federal approval of painkiller OxyContin and tactics used to promote opioids.