California Attorney General Rob Bonta last Friday announced he will appeal Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy reorganization plan, which a New York bankruptcy court approved on September 17, the Sierra Sun Times reported. Through their ownership and control of Purdue, members of the Sackler family made billions of dollars profiting from the sale of OxyContin, a powerful prescription opioid and key contributor to the ongoing opioid public health crisis. Despite this, in exchange for a monetary contribution to the reorganization plan, the plan includes sweeping third-party releases for the Sackler family. With no admission of liability, these releases grant the Sacklers lifetime immunity from any future civil liability related to the opioid crisis, preventing states like California from holding them accountable. In July, the Attorney General’s office joined a coalition of state attorneys general in objecting to the plan. “We’re appealing the bankruptcy plan because the Sackler family must be held accountable for its role in creating and fueling the devastating opioid crisis,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Too many California communities have unfairly paid the price for their willful misconduct, and this bankruptcy plan falls short of the accountability that families impacted by this epidemic deserve." In 2019, the Attorney General's Office sued Purdue and members of the Sackler family for unlawful practices in the promotion and sale of opioids. The lawsuit alleged that Purdue’s misleading marketing and sales practices, which the Sackler family approved, played a major role in contributing to the nationwide opioid crisis.
