The U.S. Supreme Court review of Purdue Pharma’s $6 billion opioid settlement could open the door for Canada’s municipalities and indigenous First Nations — the only two groups not made up of individual claimants that have opposed the deal — to seek compensation they say has been denied them, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Purdue’s bankruptcy plan would compensate thousands of individuals, healthcare providers, and U.S. state and local governments accusing the maker of the OxyContin painkiller of helping to fuel the opioid epidemic. But Canadian cities and First Nations don’t have access to the settlement money promised by the Sackler family owners. The bankruptcy plan is being challenged by the U.S. Justice Department, which contests the lifetime immunity the settlement would grant Purdue’s Sackler family owners from opioid-related lawsuits. The Supreme Court heard arguments on the challenge last month. If the Supreme Court rejects the plan, lawsuits that Canadian municipalities and First Nations have filed against Purdue and the Sacklers in Canada and New York could move forward, giving them a new opportunity to litigate their cases for compensation.
