The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked bankruptcy proceedings involving Purdue Pharma, the maker of the opioid OxyContin. The settlement would have shielded the Sackler family, owners of the company, from civil lawsuits over their role in the country’s opioid epidemic.
Under the blocked deal, the Sacklers would receive immunity in exchange for paying up to $6 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits over the company’s misleading marketing of the pain medication. The justices agreed to a request by the Biden administration to halt the agreement. The court is expected to hear arguments before the end of the year on whether the settlement can proceed.
