The Supreme Court now plans to hear this case in December.
Topline
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a $6 billion bankruptcy settlement Thursday that would’ve protected the company’s owners, the Sackler family, from civil lawsuits related to opioid abuse, and will hear the case in the fall, multiple news organizations reported.Key Facts
During the bankruptcy proceedings of Purdue Pharma, one of the drug companies widely considered to be responsible for the opioid epidemic, the Sackler family had agreed to pay $6 billion to settle opioid-related claims in exchange for immunity from future cases related to opioid abuse.
Thursday’s decision from the court temporarily pauses that deal and sets the stage for the issue to be debated in front of Supreme Court justices in December.
The question that will be debated centers around whether the bankruptcy court had the authority to approve such a deal, specifically whether it could shield the Sackler family from facing victims in court.
