This family made billions of dollars by selling OxyContin, the addictive painkiller that hooked millions of Americans.
Wikipedia says (here), “They have been described as the “most evil family in America” and as “the worst drug dealers in history.”
Whether that’s true or not, the Sackler family business, Purdue Pharma, is in bankruptcy. Its creditors are states and municipalities that pay for drug addiction treatment, and individuals who became addicted to the pills.
Under a controversial bankruptcy settlement, the Sacklers would have contributed several billion dollars to a settlement fund, but would have kept billions more for themselves. On June 26, 2024, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling rejected that settlement, opening the door to extracting more money from the Sacklers than they had agreed to pay (story here).
What will happen now? What should happen? Shouldn’t the Sacklers be stripped of all their ill-gotten riches, given the tremendous damage they did to our society and the countless lives they ruined? Stay tuned.