Supreme Court Blocks Purdue Pharma's Sackler Family Liability Shield in Opioid Settlement

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision rejected a provision in Purdue Pharma's opioid settlement that aimed to shield the Sackler family from related lawsuits, jeopardizing the promised $6 billion to address the crisis. This ruling ensures that the Sacklers will not have immunity from liability in opioid-related cases, overturning a lower court's decision.

The decision halts the release of funds that could have assisted in alleviating the opioid crisis and throws the settlement of thousands of lawsuits into uncertainty. The case centered on whether bankruptcy law can protect the Sackler family members, who have not filed for personal bankruptcy, leading to a victory for the Biden administration that had opposed the settlement.