Heir: Sacklers won’t settle unless freed from opioid suits

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

A member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma has told a court that the family will not contribute billions to abate the U.S. opioid crisis unless it is granted protection from current and future lawsuits. David Sackler made a rare public appearance Tuesday as he testified at a bankruptcy court hearing over the company’s restructuring plan. The deal would require family members to contribute more than $4 billion and give up ownership of the Connecticut-based company. The legal protections the family would get are at the heart of objections to the deal from nine states and activists.