A Democratic Senator wants information about a decision by the maker of OxyContin to file for bankruptcy in a New York City suburb known as a popular landing spot for large corporate restructurings because of the single judge overseeing chapter 11 cases there, the Wall Street Journal reported. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) yesterday asked Purdue Pharma LP’s board to turn over any emails and other information documenting the company’s decision to change its New York address for receiving legal documents from Albany to White Plains about six months before filing for chapter 11 last year. Judge Robert Drain is the only bankruptcy judge sitting in White Plains, meaning that cases filed there were until recently assigned exclusively to him. That sets White Plains apart from other popular bankruptcy venues such as Delaware, where cases are randomly assigned to one of several judges. Purdue changed an address it has registered with the New York Department of State shortly before Chief Executive Craig Landau said in an interview published in the Washington Post that the business was considering filing for chapter 11 protection, according to the letter Sen. Baldwin sent Purdue. She and other Democratic lawmakers previously urged Judge Drain not to grant Purdue’s request to pay Landau a bonus that could be worth millions of dollars. Purdue is using bankruptcy to try to implement a multibillion-dollar settlement of thousands of lawsuits brought by states, local governments and Native American tribes accusing the company of contributing to widespread opioid addiction. The settlement proposal, which requires court approval, would cede control of Purdue to creditors and includes a roughly $3 billion payment from the Sackler family members that own the company. Based in Stamford, Conn., Purdue changed registered agents to one that has a White Plains address in March 2019, according to filings with the New York Department of State.
