Delaware DOJ files lawsuit against Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma companies
The Delaware Department of Justice is suing seven members of the Sackler family for the role they played in the state's opioid epidemic – a crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives here and cost Delaware billions of dollars.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Delaware Superior Court, comes on the heels of numerous others that have recently been filed against the family behind three Purdue pharmaceutical companies, including Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the highly addictive and readily sought painkiller OxyContin.
The family, last valued by Forbes in 2016 to have a net worth of $13 billion, "were the chief architects and beneficiaries of Purdue’s deception" for about two decades through their positions as board members and owners of Purdue Pharma, according to the lawsuit.
The 114-page filing claims that through their positions on the board, the Sacklers not only directly controlled and managed the aggressive sales tactics that led to the over-prescription of this medication, but also voted to pay themselves billions in Purdue profits.
Read more: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/09/delaware-sues-sacklers-owner-purdue-pharma-role-opioid-crisis/2262776001/
