The Shadow
RICHMOND, VA — Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced a $7.4 billion multistate settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc. (Purdue) for their leading role in creating and fueling the national opioid crisis. Virginia is projected to receive up to approximately $107.4 million over 15 years from the settlement.
“The fight to secure this monumental settlement has been long and hard fought, but my office never gave up,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “This historic settlement not only holds the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma accountable for their role in the opioid crisis but also ensures that communities across Virginia and the nation alike receive the essential support they need to help heal and restore lives ravaged by opioid addiction.”
Under the Sacklers’ leadership, Purdue invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States and will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. The $7.4 billion settlement in principle, the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis, comes after the United States Supreme Court overturned a prior multistate settlement with the Sacklers and Purdue in June 2024.
If approved, the settlement will deliver funds to the participating states, local governments, affected individuals, and other parties who have previously sued the Sacklers or Purdue. A significant amount of the settlement funds will be distributed in the first three years, with the Sacklers paying $1.5 billion and Purdue paying nearly $900 million in the first payment, followed by $500 million after one year, an additional $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.
This settlement also marks the end of the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and bars them from selling opioids in the United States. A board of trustees selected by participating states in consultation with the other creditors will determine the future of the company. Purdue will continue to be overseen by a monitor and will be prevented from lobbying or marketing opioids under the settlement.
If approved, the settlement will also make public more than 30 million documents related to Purdue and the Sacklers’ opioid business. The document repository will now also contain documents relating to compliance with the 2007 State Attorneys General Consent Judgments, and after six years will make previously privileged documents public.
In 2018, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office filed suit against Purdue and related entities in Tazewell County Circuit Court, alleging that they violated the Virginia Consumer Protection Act through a large-scale campaign of misrepresentations and deception regarding the risks of addiction and benefits of prescription opioids. In 2019, the Attorney General’s Office filed a motion to amend the suit to include allegations against Sackler family members. The settlement in principle will resolve those claims.
Joining Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares in negotiating the settlement in principle are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia.
