Feet to the flame
Shapiro keeps up the pressure on Purdue, Sacklers
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has bucked a settlement with Purdue Pharma and is holding the company’s feet to the flames by way of a new lawsuit that directly targets its owners, the Sackler family. Local governments throughout Pennsylvania should support his efforts.
Mr. Shapiro did not mince words when announcing his lawsuit, arguing that the Sacklers seem “to be concerned with only one thing — keeping their hands on the ill-gotten gains they made while pumping our commonwealth full of OxyContin.”
Mr. Shapiro’s righteous fury is warranted. Deaths by overdose continue to occur by the tens of thousands, and Pennsylvania has been among the hardest hit states. According to data published by the University of Virginia’s Christopher J. Ruhm, Pennsylvania had the nation’s most deaths by opioid overdose in 2017 — 5,336, or nearly 9% of all opioid deaths in the U.S. that year. Those who have lost family or friends, as well as those who continue to suffer from opioid addiction, deserve justice.
Purdue’s proposed settlement does not achieve justice, though the settlement has been accepted by some two dozen states and more than 2,000 cities and counties. Mr. Shapiro has said no. Allegheny County has not made a decision, though several neighbors are keen on Purdue’s offer. They include Beaver, Crawford, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties. They were shortsighted.
Under the terms of Purdue’s deal, the Sacklers will relinquish control of the company, which has filed for bankruptcy. Purdue will then operate as a for-profit trust with the goal of combating the opioid epidemic, paying out as much as $12 over time.
But Mr. Shapiro — who described the agreement as a “slap in the face” — and more than a dozen other state attorneys general have not bought in. One expressed fear is Purdue Pharma won’t be able to make good on its promise if its properties aren’t worth what Purdue says they are. Furthermore, and of equal importance: What has been promised is not adequate compensation for the destruction the company has wrought.
The Sackler family has not reckoned with the devastation it has caused — or the family simply doesn’t care. Proof positive: The Sacklers are attempting to safeguard their family fortune through the courts even as the company lobbies a judge to authorize $34 million in bonuses for high-level employees.
Counties and cities throughout the state should join Mr. Shapiro in rebuking Purdue and helping Mr. Shapiro in his pledge: “This is far from over.” billion