Attorney General William Tong has announced that Connecticut will receive approximately $95 million as part of a $6 billion multistate settlement arrangement with Stamford-headquartered Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the company”™s founders.
According to a statement issued by Tong”™s office, the settlement is 40% more than the previously vacated settlement appealed by Connecticut. As part of the agreement, the Sackler family must apologize for its role in the opioid crisis and allow institutions to remove the Sackler name from buildings and scholarships.
Furthermore, the state will use its portion of the settlement to be used to fund opioid treatment and prevention. The agreement also enables Connecticut to use a portion of the settlement funds to establish an Opioid Survivors Trust to directly aid survivors and victims of the opioid epidemic.
Tong added that while the initial bankruptcy plan required Purdue and the Sacklers to make public over 30 million documents, the new settlement requires the disclosure of additional records previously withheld as privileged legal advice. The agreement is a civil settlement and does not release the Sackler family from any potential future criminal liability.
“Five months ago, Connecticut said no to a Purdue bankruptcy plan that allowed the Sackler family to purchase lifetime legal immunity without so much as an apology,” said Tong. “After months of negotiation and consultation with victims and their families, Connecticut has forced Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers to pay a $6 billion settlement and apologize in dollars, words, and actions.”
