Judge Delays Purdue Pharma Sentencing for Opioid Crisis Role

U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo delayed the sentencing of Purdue Pharma by one week to allow more public participation in the case over its role in fueling the opioid epidemic, according to multiple reports.

The judge was expected to accept Purdue's 2020 guilty plea at a court hearing in Newark, New Jersey. The plea deal included a $3.5 billion criminal fine and $2 billion in criminal forfeiture against the company. However, Arleo changed course during proceedings after protesters and members of the public showed up to participate in person.

The sentencing is one of the last steps before Purdue can complete a bankruptcy settlement that would dissolve the company and use its assets to pay $7.4 billion to those harmed by the opioid crisis, as reported by Reuters and The Guardian. Eight victims were scheduled to speak at the hearing, sharing their personal stories of suffering, loss, and addiction.

The settlement requires members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years. Most of this money will go to state, local, and Native American tribal governments for opioid abatement efforts such as addiction treatment. The broader settlement is part of a series of agreements by drugmakers, wholesalers, and pharmacies worth more than $50 billion to address the overdose epidemic.

Some victims and their family members have been pushing back against the settlement, asserting that it stops short of justice for those affected by the crisis. Susan Ousterman, whose son died from an opioid overdose, organized others to deliver victim impact statements to the court ahead of the sentencing. She aims to persuade the judge to reject the plea deal and for the U.S. Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against individuals, including Sackler family members.