Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

by Patrick Radden Keefe

The states had all brought their suits separately, but what the Sacklers suggested was an overall resolution that would sweep in all of the plaintiffs in all the different suits. The concept that David and his team outlined was that the Sacklers would relinquish control of Purdue and turn the company into a public trust, and the family would donate a large sum of money to address the opioid crisis. In exchange, the Sacklers would be granted immunity from “all potential federal liability” related to OxyContin. It was a grand bargain, a single negotiated pact that would resolve all of the cases at once and deliver the Sacklers the peace of mind of knowing that they would not spend the rest of their lives in litigation. Almost as soon as the offer had been made, the terms leaked to the press. A wave of headlines announced the news: “Purdue Pharma Offers $10–12 Billion to Settle Opioid Claims.”