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As part of the multi-billion dollar settlement, Connecticut is set to receive approximately $95 million, which is approximately 40 percent more than the previously vacated settlement that was appealed by state officials.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said that the money the state will receive as part of the settlement will be used in part to establish an “Opioid Survivors Trust” to directly aid survivors and the victims of the opioid epidemic.
According to Tong, outside of the Survivors Trust, some of the money from the settlement will also be used to “save lives through opioid treatment and prevention.”
The $6 billion settlement is scheduled to be spread out over 18 years, with the largest payments provided upfront to address the nationwide opioid crisis more immediately.
Tong also noted that in response to Connecticut’s demands, mediator Judge Shelley C. Chapman strongly urged the Bankruptcy Court to require the Sacklers to participate in a public hearing where victims and their survivors would be given an opportunity to directly address the family.
“Five months ago, Connecticut said no to a Purdue bankruptcy plan that allowed the Sackler family to purchase lifetime legal immunity without so much as an apology,” Tong said.
“After months of negotiation and consultation with victims and their families, Connecticut has forced Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers to pay a $6 billion settlement and apologize in dollars, words, and actions.
As part of the settlement, Tong noted that the Sacklers must also apologize for their role in the epidemic, to their victims, and remove the family name from any building, scholarship, or fellowship.
“This fight has never been about the money. After years of lies and denial, the Sackler family must now directly apologize for the pain they have caused,” he said. “They must reckon face-to-face with the survivors of their reckless greed at a public hearing.
“Museums and universities may now scrub the tarnished Sackler name from their walls—ensuring this family is remembered throughout history for their callous disdain for human suffering and nothing else.”
Tong called the settlement, “both significant and insufficient,” as it was constrained by the federal bankruptcy code.
“Connecticut cannot stall this process indefinitely as victims and our sister states await a resolution,” Tong added. “This settlement resolves our claims against Purdue and the Sacklers, but we are not done fighting for justice against the addiction industry and against our broken bankruptcy code.”
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