By Charles Young, The Exponent Telegram
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — When the U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down part of a deal shielding members of the Sackler family from lawsuits related to their company Purdue Pharma’s prescription painkiller OxyContin, a $6 billion settlement from which West Virginia would have received tens of millions was also invalidated.
State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, during a recent press conference in Bridgeport, said stakeholders from across the country are beginning to work on another deal that could prove even more lucrative for West Virginia.
“With the Supreme Court ruling that the bankruptcy code didn’t protect certain individuals, i.e. the Sacklers, people are going back to determine what the new type of settlement would look like,” Morrisey said. “So that means that you have states, counties and cities, private parties, all evaluating: What does that do to the existing settlement? Does it open up the door to more opportunities? That’s a discussion that’s happening right now.”
West Virginia has brought legal action against pharmacies, pharmaceutical distributors and pharmaceutical manufacturers for their roles in the opioid epidemic.
