The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down on Thursday the settlement Purdue Pharma reached with various plaintiffs for its role in the opioid epidemic. According to the deal, the plaintiffs would receive around $6 billion and Purdue Pharma would go into bankruptcy, but the company owners the Sackler family would be protected from further litigation.
The 5-4 Supreme Court majority said the Sackler family intends to shield itself from "claims for wrongful death and fraud, and they seek to do so without putting anything close to all their assets on the table." However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued in dissent that, as a result of the decision, "opioid victims are now deprived of the substantial monetary recovery that they long fought for and finally secured after years of litigation" as it is unclear whether the two sides can reach another agreement.