AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc. (“Purdue”) for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis.
Purdue, under the Sacklers’ leadership, 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 their ability to sell opioids in the United States. Further, it 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.
“For years, I have aggressively worked to hold Purdue Pharma and other corporations accountable for their roles in creating and exacerbating the deadly opioid crisis that harmed so many Americans,” said Attorney General Paxton. “While nothing can restore the damage done, this settlement will provide Texans valuable resources to help prevent more opioid abuse. It was an honor to help lead these negotiations and I will never stop ensuring that justice is secured for those affected.”
Attorney General Paxton has been a national leader in holding companies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis, securing over $3 billion in settlements with Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and other companies.
Joining Attorney General Paxton in securing the settlement in principle are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
