Judge favors boosting Sackler payment in Purdue Pharma deal

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

A judge has indicated he is moving forward with a plan for the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to pump at least another $1.2 billion into a nationwide settlement of lawsuits against over the toll of opioids. Legal wrangling still lies ahead for the overall bankruptcy reorganization plan. The increased payment that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain saidWednesday he would approve was hashed out by a mediator with the Sackler family and attorneys general for several states and the District of Columbia. Next up is a virtual court hearing Thursday at which victims of the opioid crisis will have a rare opportunity to address members of the Sackler family.