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☆ Supreme Court questions opioid liability protections for Sackler family
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Members of the Supreme Court seemed conflicted on Monday over whether to allow the bankruptcy reorganization of opioid maker Purdue Pharma, which includes a provision that protects the Sackler family from liability from future lawsuits. During the oral argument, justices expressed skepticism that a bankruptcy court had legal authority to release the Sacklers from potential legal claims. No Sackler family member has had any involvement in the company since 2019. The company sought bankruptcy protection, but the Sackler family members did not. She added that it would be "an extraordinary thing" if the court allowed the family to "basically subvert" the bankruptcy process.

Persons: Sackler, Pharm, Biden, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan's, Kagan, Pratik Shah, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: WASHINGTON, Purdue Pharma, New York's Southern, Federal Court, Purdue Locations: New York's, White Plains

☆ Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Controversial Purdue Pharma Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | More About Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Purdue Pharma and the wealthy family that controlled it are forever linked to the deadly opioid epidemic, which has left hundreds of thousands of people dead. But their role in the public health crisis is not the central question that the Supreme Court will wrestle with on Monday when it hears arguments over a bankruptcy settlement involving Purdue, the maker of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. Instead, the justices will focus on a narrower issue: whether the plan, devised to address the thousands of claims brought by state and local governments, tribes, hospitals and individual victims, can give wide-ranging legal protections to members of the Sackler family, the owners of the company. Under the deal, the Sacklers would pay up to $6 billion of their fortune toward settling those claims in exchange for immunity from all civil legal disputes related to the opioid crisis and Purdue.

Persons: Sackler Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Purdue

☆ Explainer: How will the Supreme Court reshape US opioid epidemic relief?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The settlement also would shield the Stamford, Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company's wealthy Sackler family owners from lawsuits brought by opioid victims. A U.S. bankruptcy court approved that restructuring plan in 2021. Lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family members accuse them of fueling the opioid epidemic through deceptive marketing of its pain medication. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." The administration also has said Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to the opioid settlement.

Persons: OxyContin, Sackler, Department's, Joshua Silverstein, Silverstein, Joe Biden's, John Kruzel, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, U.S ., District of Columbia, University of Arkansas, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Stamford , Connecticut, United States, U.S, Little, New York

☆ At Core of Purdue Pharma Case: Who Can Get Immunity in Settlements?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | More About Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Purdue Pharma, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, had been entangled in lawsuits seeking to hold it to account for its role in the spiraling opioid crisis. A pathbreaking settlement reached last year appeared to signal the end to thousands of those cases, funneling billions of dollars toward fighting the epidemic in exchange for exempting members of the billionaire Sackler family, which once controlled the company, from civil lawsuits. But on Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether the agreement is a violation of federal law in a case that could have ramifications not just for Purdue but also for organizations that turn to bankruptcy court, as the company did, to resolve claims of mass injury. “There’s huge implications for all of corporate bankruptcy,” said Anthony J. Casey, a law professor at the University of Chicago. “I think this is probably the most important bankruptcy case before the court in 30, maybe 40 years.”

Persons: Sackler, “, ”, Anthony J, Casey Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Purdue, University of Chicago

☆ The oxycontin-peddling Sackler family has tried to get immunity from civil lawsuits by filing for bankruptcy. That might be illegal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Supreme Court will decide whether Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement will stand. Officially referred to as third-party nonconsensual releases, the legal maneuver allows organizations to settle personal injury claims in bankruptcy court instead of civil court. Legal experts say companies are more often relying on bankruptcy court than civil court to settle claims, The New York Times reported. Opponents of the practice say it robs regular people of their day in civil court. The Sacklers' settlement deal did not require the Sacklers themselves to declare bankruptcy, just Purdue Pharma, according to the Times.

Persons: Sackler, — Organizations: Purdue, Service, Purdue Pharma, Reuters, The New York Times, Times

☆ Fate of Billions for Opioid Victims From Sacklers Rests With Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Jan Hoffman | More About Jan Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The speed with which the court scheduled the case may reflect its awareness of the opioid problem. The court, they said, will focus narrowly on the liability shield, an increasingly popular, though contentious, bankruptcy tactic. “I’m sure, though, that even if the opioid crisis doesn’t show up anywhere in the opinion, the court has to be bearing in mind that cities, states and individuals have been desperately waiting for these funds. Though numerous pharmaceutical companies have been sued for their roles in the opioid epidemic, the Sacklers and Purdue loom large in the story of the complex, decades-old crisis. The steep fines did little to deter Purdue from continuing to aggressively market OxyContin.

Persons: ”, Adam Zimmerman, OxyContin Organizations: University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, Purdue, Food and Drug Administration, Sackler

NEW YORK (AP) — Tim Dorsey, a former police and courts newspaper reporter who found lasting fame as the creator of the crime-comedy novel series starring Serge A. Storms, an energetic fan of Florida history and an ingenious serial killer, has died. Dorsey, who published 26 novels, died Sunday, according to Danielle Bartlett, a publicity director at William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. Fans of Dorsey appreciated his clever observations and satirical pokes at the weirdness of Florida. He was part of a trio of former newspapermen from Florida — including Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen — who found a rich vein of absurdist humor in the state. “It was a privilege and honor to work with Tim Dorsey.

Persons: — Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Dorsey, Danielle Bartlett, William Morrow, Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen —, Tim Dorsey, Serge, Storms, Emily Krump, Coleman, Florida grifters, ”, “, ’ ”, Bruce DeSilva, Kurt Vonnegut, hasn’t, ” Dorsey, ___ Mark Kennedy Organizations: HarperCollins, Maltese, Torino, The Associated Press, “, Auburn University, The Alabama, The Tampa Tribune Locations: Florida, Tabasco, Indiana, Tribune’s Tallahassee

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Dec. 4 over whether the agreement, part of the resolution of Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy, violates federal law. She initially opposed the deal with Purdue Pharma but has come around. The Purdue Pharma settlement would be among the largest. But in the decade before that, they were paid more than $10 billion, about half of which family members said went to pay taxes. The department and Purdue Pharma forged a plea bargain in a criminal and civil case.

Persons: Sackler, Ellen Isaacs ’, Ryan Wroblewski, ”, Mike Quinn, ” Lynn Wencus, Jeff, ” Wencus, It's, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Purdue Pharma’s, ” ___ Mulvihill Organizations: WASHINGTON, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, Sackler, Bankruptcy, Justice Department, Republican, Democrat, Congress, Boy Scouts of, Boy Scout, Catholic, “ Locations: Florida, Wrentham , Massachusetts, Stamford , Connecticut, ”, Boy Scouts of America, Cherry Hill , New Jersey

☆ How Drug Addiction Tore a Family and Tribe Apart - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Judith Surber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

When I think about my sons, Roger and Cory, I picture them as I do all my children, as precious babies. I don’t see them as the rest of the world does, as two men in their 30s with drug addiction. I remember reading once that if parents had an addiction to alcohol or drugs, their children would have a higher risk for addiction, too. My teenage granddaughter recently left an addiction treatment facility in Utah. My granddaughter, shortly after she returned from an addiction treatment center.

Persons: Roger, Cory, OxyContin, I’ve, Megan, I’m, Kinsinta’s, “ Grandma, “, ” Organizations: Indian, Indian Health Service, Indian Child Welfare Locations: B.D, Northern California, Utah, Hoopa, Eureka , Calif

☆ Curtain comes up on new term for conservative US Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., August 31, 2023. The conservative justices have shown assertiveness in major rulings in the past two years. The court has ended its recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, expanded gun rights, restricted federal agency powers, rejected affirmative action in college admissions and broadened religious rights. The justices are opening their annual term on the first Monday of October, in keeping with tradition. The term debuts with some justices under ethics scrutiny after revelations this year of their ties to wealthy conservative benefactors.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden's, Mark Pulsifer, Donald Trump, Pulsifer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump, Amy Coney Barrett, Ginsburg, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Rights, Purdue, Republican, resentencing, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S . Postal, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Iowa, Texas, Florida

On the heels of that decision, a federal appeals court invalidated a federal law that bars an individual who is subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm. A three-judge district court panel struck down the plan in January, saying that race had been the predominant motivating factor. Three years ago, the Supreme Court limited the independence of the CFPB by invalidating its leadership structure. The court’s decision could impact whether the SEC and other agencies can conduct enforcement proceedings in-house, using administrative courts staffed with agency employees, or whether such actions must be brought in federal court. “It’s difficult to think of any other recent First Amendment cases in which the stakes were so high,” Jaffer added.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, ”, Biden, Zackey Rahimi, John Roberts, Taiwan Scott, Thomas, Elizabeth Prelogar, Magnuson, Paul Clement, ” Clement, “, pare, George Jarkesy, Sackler, ” Prelogar, Jameel Jaffer, Jaffer Organizations: CNN, Gun Safety, South Carolina’s Republican, South Carolina State Conference of, NAACP, Democrat, Republican, National Marine Fisheries Service, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, Stevens Fishery Conservation, Management, Independent, Consumer Financial, Federal Reserve, US, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Securities, Exchange, US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Social Security Administration, Circuit, Historic Purdue Pharma, Purdue Pharma, Sackler, Purdue, Facebook, YouTube, Columbia University’s Locations: United States, South Carolina, Alabama, Taiwan, Charleston County, Chevron, Florida, Texas

Bottles of prescription painkiller OxyContin made by Purdue Pharma LP sit on a shelf at a local pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S., April 25, 2017. The settlements, which require a judge's approval, were disclosed in papers filed on Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco. The money is on top of $641.5 million that McKinsey already paid to resolve claims by state attorneys-general. McKinsey will pay $207 million to resolve claims by counties and municipalities, and another $23 million to resolve claims by public school districts. Aelish Baig, a lawyer for the local governments, in a statement called the deal "a strong outcome for the communities harmed by this crisis".

Persons: painkiller OxyContin, George Frey, Aelish Baig, McKinsey, Joe Biden's, Purdue Pharma's, Nate Raymond, Miral Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, Companies Mckinsey, Company, Consulting, McKinsey, Co, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, San Francisco, United States, Boston

Louis Milione retired from the DEA a second time this summer amid reporting by The Associated Press on potential conflicts caused by his prior consulting for the pharmaceutical industry. Milione had spent four years at Guidepost prior to his return, leveraging his extensive experience and contacts from a 21-year DEA career. “Should we say Welcome Back?” Guidepost quipped in a social media post this week announcing Milione’s rehire as president of global investigations and regulatory compliance. His career stands out for two cycles through the revolving door between government and industry, raising questions about the potential impact on the DEA’s mission to police drug companies blamed for tens of thousands of American overdose deaths. Morris & Dickson is still challenging the ruling, which threatens to put the $4 billion a year company out of business.

Persons: Louis Milione, Milione, Anne Milgram’s, “, ” Guidepost, Milione’s rehire, they’re, ”, Jeff Hauser, Viktor Bout, rehire Milione, Milgram, Lou Milione, Morris, Dickson, ” Milgram Organizations: WASHINGTON, Enforcement, Purdue Pharma, Associated Press, Guidepost Solutions, Justice, DEA’s, Dickson Co, DEA, AP, Morris, Department of Justice Locations: New York, America, Shreveport , Louisiana, Investigative@ap.org

The number of prescription opioid pills shipped in the U.S. in the second half of the 2010s decreased sharply even as a nationwide overdose crisis continued to deepen, according to data released Tuesday. But Mougey pointed out that as prescription drug shipments decreased, illicit opioids — particularly heroin and illegally produced versions of fentanyl — increased. During that time, prescription drugs were the opioids linked to the most deaths in the U.S. The newly released data is the first deep look at what happened with prescription drug shipments later in the 2010s. By the early 2010s, policymakers and doctors were restricting access to prescription opioids.

Persons: ” Peter Mougey, Mougey, Dan Polster, Sackler, Polster, ” Polster Organizations: U.S . Drug, Administration, System, U.S, District, Washington Post, HD Media, Purdue Pharma, Kroger Locations: U.S, ARCOS, Appalachia, Cleveland, West Virginia

One of the nation's largest grocery chains is the latest company to agree to settle lawsuits over the U.S. opioid crisis. In a deal announced Friday, the Kroger Co. would pay up to $1.4 billion over 11 years. Kroger currently has stores in 35 states — virtually everywhere save the Northeast, the northern plains and Hawaii. Over the past eight years, prescription drug manufacturers, wholesalers, consultants and pharmacies have proposed or finalized opioid settlements totaling more than $50 billion, including at least 12 others worth more than $1 billion. “Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety,” the company said.

Persons: Kroger, —, Jayne Conroy, ”, overprescribing, Conroy, “ Kroger, OptumRx Organizations: Kroger, U.S, Supreme, Purdue Pharma, Associated Press, Albertsons, Pharmacy Locations: Hawaii, New Mexico, West Virginia, U.S

☆ Russian soldiers are fighting Ukraine high on amphetamines, a report claims. The Nazis did it first.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian soldiers have speculated that Russian troops are fighting while high on amphetamines. Nazi troops were given methamphetamines during World War II to decrease fear and increase aggression. Germany even organized a rehab program for "overflown" pilots, or those who were addicted to the drug, Ohler said. The Russian military gave its soldiers vodka rations to get through World War II; France opted for red wine; and alcohol remained the "number one" drug for Germans during the war, Ohler said. "I would be surprised if drugs were not being used in the Ukrainian-Russian war," Ohler said.

Persons: playbook, Norman Ohler, Ohler, Pervitin, Otto Ranke, Ranke, Adolf Hitler, Hoffman, — Organizations: Nazi, Service, Russian, Royal United Service, Reich, Institute for General, Defense, Ohler, France Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Nazi Germany, Europe, Germany, Poland, West, France, Belgium, Holland, British, Soviet Union, German, Vietnam, Ukrainian

☆ Rudy Giuliani helped Purdue Pharma keep selling OxyContin. Here's the real story behind what's depicted in 'Painkiller.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Giuliani helped Purdue Pharma strike a deal with the government to keep selling the drug. Purdue Pharma hired Giuliani back in 2002, representing the first client his consulting firm ever landed, The New York Times reported in 2007. By getting Brownlee to agree to prosecute the parent company, Purdue Frederick, rather than Purdue Pharma, Giuliani and his team were also able to prevent a ban against Purdue Pharma doing future business with the federal government, which manages public health programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veterans Administration health system, The Guardian reported. Under our settlement, Purdue Pharma would cease to exist and Knoa Pharma, a newly formed company with a public-minded mission, would emerge. The settlement would deliver over $10 billion of value for opioid crisis abatement, overdose rescue medicines, and victim compensation."

Persons: Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani, — Rudy Giuliani, Sackler, OxyContin, Edie Flowers, Uzo Aduba, Patrick Radden Keefe, John Brownlee's, James Comey, Brownlee, who'd, Purdue Frederick Organizations: Netflix, Former New York City Mayor, Purdue Pharma, Service, Purdue, New, New York City, OxyContin, The New York Times, Guardian, Veterans Administration, Knoa Pharma Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York, New York City, OxyContin

The settlement involving Purdue, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, touches on one of the country’s largest public health crises. Experts say the decision may also have important consequences for other cases that use the bankruptcy system to settle claims of mass injuries. Here’s what you need to know about the court’s decision:Why did the Supreme Court decide to weigh in? It’s rare for the Supreme Court to agree to hear a bankruptcy court dispute, experts say, especially one dealing with a settlement agreement in a mass-injury case. Trustee Program, a watchdog office within the Justice Department, that petitioned the Supreme Court to review the deal.

Persons: Sackler Organizations: Supreme, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, U.S ., Justice Department Locations: U.S

"We are confident in the legality of our nearly universally supported plan of reorganization, and optimistic that the Supreme Court will agree," the company added. Members of the Sackler family have denied wrongdoing but expressed regret that OxyContin "unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis." They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." In a court filing, the administration told the Supreme Court that Purdue's settlement is an abuse of bankruptcy protections meant for debtors in "financial distress," not people like the Sacklers. According to the administration, Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to its opioid settlement.

Persons: George Frey, Joe Biden's, Sackler, OxyContin, Biden, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, . Trustee, The, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Washington, New York

A pharmacist holds a bottle OxyContin made by Purdue Pharma at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S., May 9, 2019. At issue is whether U.S. bankruptcy law allows Purdue's restructuring to include legal protections for the Sackler family, who have not filed for personal bankruptcy. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." In a court filing, the administration told the Supreme Court that Purdue's settlement is an abuse of bankruptcy protections meant for debtors in "financial distress," not people like the Sacklers. According to the administration, Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to its opioid settlement.

Persons: George Frey, Joe Biden's, Sackler, OxyContin, Biden, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, Circuit, U.S . Trustee, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Washington, New York

☆ Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma's $6 billion opioid settlement, will hear challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

(Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) and Truth Pharm staged a rally and die-in outside New York's Southern District Federal Court in White Plains. The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked for now a $6 billion bankruptcy settlement by Purdue Pharma that would protect its Sackler family owners from civil lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. The Supreme Court also said it will hear a challenge to the settlement by Purdue, the maker of the opioid OxyContin, by a U.S. Bankruptcy trustee. There were no dissents by any of the court's justices in the order granting the requested hold. The case will be argued in December at the high court.

Persons: Pharm Organizations: New York's Southern, Federal Court, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, U.S Locations: New York's, White Plains

☆ Supreme Court Pauses Opioid Settlement With Sacklers Pending Review
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | More About Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to consider the government’s challenge of a bankruptcy settlement involving Purdue Pharma, putting on pause a deal that would have shielded members of the wealthy Sackler family from civil opioid lawsuits in exchange for payments of up to $6 billion to thousands of plaintiffs. In doing so, the court sided with the Justice Department, which had requested the court put the settlement plan on hold while it considered reviewing the agreement. The government has argued that the family behind Purdue Pharma, maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, should not be able to take advantage of legal protections meant for debtors in “financial distress.”The court’s order, which was unsigned, gave no reasons and included no public dissents, adds to the uncertainty around the plan to compensate states, local governments, tribes and individuals harmed by the opioid crisis while offering protection for the Sackler family. The order specified that the justices would hear arguments in the case in December. The court’s decision to take up the challenge to the bankruptcy agreement is the latest twist in the yearslong legal battle over compensation for victims of the prescription drug crisis.

Persons: Sackler Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Justice Department

☆ Fast, cheap and deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

Fast, cheap and deadly How fentanyl replaced heroin and hooked AmericaLeer en EspañolReuters obtained and analyzed ten year’s worth of data on drugs seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at ports of entry along the southern border. It shows: Fentanyl seizures by weight more than tripled in the last quarter of 2022 compared to a year earlier. Pills were mentioned in nearly half of fentanyl border seizure incidents in 2022, up from just 6% five years earlier. A fifth of fentanyl seizures take place on pedestrians, the Reuters analysis shows. Over the same period, heroin seizures fell more than 80% from over 2,000 kg, according to the Reuters analysis.

Persons: Bryce Pardo, Troy Miller, Joe Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, ”, Chris Urben, Urben, Joaquin ‘ El Chapo ’ Guzman, “, CBP’s Miller, Jonathan Caulkins, James Mandryck, Oxycontin, Lopez Obrador, narcotrafficking, Lopez, Rosa Rodriguez, Cecilia Farfan, Mendez, Freed, Pardo, Romain Le Cour, Cour, Carlos Perez, Perez Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, United Nations Office, Drugs, DEA, CBP, U.S, Nardello, Carnegie Mellon University, U.S . Postal Service, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mexico's, North, Forensic Laboratory, University of California, Global, Transnational, U.S . Congress ’ Commission, New Generation, Center for Research Locations: Mexican, U.S, Mexico, Sinaloa, El Paso, Arizona’s Nogales, United States, offscreen, sierra, China, Beijing, Washington, University of California San Diego ., ”, New, New Generation Jalisco, Mexico City

REUTERS/George Frey/File PhotoNEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's request to delay its multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy settlement resolving thousands of lawsuits against it over the opioid epidemic. The department's bankruptcy watchdog last week asked the Supreme Court to pause the settlement, which would shield the company's Sackler family owners from opioid lawsuits in exchange for a $6 billion contribution to a broader settlement with states, local governments and victims of addiction. The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the high court to put the deal on hold after a federal appeals court rejected a proposed delay. That position was echoed by a group representing 60,000 people who have filed personal injury opioid claims in Purdue's bankruptcy. Similar lawsuits related to the U.S. opioid crisis have resulted in more than $50 billion in settlements with manufacturers, drug distributors and pharmacy chains.

Persons: George Frey, Sackler, Purdue's, OxyContin, Dietrich Knauth, Grant McCool Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Department, of Justice, Purdue, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Purdue's

NEW YORK, July 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop Purdue Pharma from proceeding with a bankruptcy settlement that protects its Sackler family owners from lawsuits. Purdue's bankruptcy plan would shield its owners from opioid lawsuits in exchange for a $6 billion contribution to the company's broader bankruptcy settlement. Approving Purdue's bankruptcy plan "would leave in place a roadmap for wealthy corporations and individuals to misuse the bankruptcy system," the U.S Trustee argued. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." The Supreme Court set an Aug. 4 deadline for Purdue to respond.

Persons: Sackler, OxyContin, Dietrich Knauth, Matthew Lewis Organizations: YORK, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, Supreme, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, U.S . Trustee, The U.S, Thomson Locations: Purdue's, U.S, Connecticut, New York

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