Judge Blocks Lawsuits Against Sackler Family As OxyContin Bankruptcy Talks Continue

Federal bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain extended an injunction on lawsuits against members of the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, until April 21.

Drain made the ruling Wednesday from his court in White Plains, N.Y., while urging parties to move swiftly to hash out a final deal over the future of the embattled drug company.

More than two dozen state attorneys general are still hoping to move forward with separate civil claims against the Sacklers, who earned more than $10.8 billion selling opioids.

According to Drain, however, that kind of legal scrum would "irreparably harm the ability to conclude these negotiations."

He also suggested the threat of new state lawsuits against the Sacklers was a "misguided" effort to gain leverage over the family in bankruptcy talks.

At issue is how Purdue Pharma and its owners will be held accountable for their role in an opioid epidemic that's killed more than 450,000 Americans.

The drug-maker filed for bankruptcy in 2019, facing an avalanche of claims linked to the marketing and sale of its highly addictive painkiller OxyContin.