It is hard to explain how rarely a Judge rejects a settlement made voluntarily between the parties in an enormous and complex case on their docket. These cases can obstruct and upend an entire courthouse’s dockets and scheduling. There isn’t any question that this Judge was seriously offended by the special treatment given to the Sackler family and the fortune they made from marketing, selling, and distributing obscene amounts of oxycodone around this country.
The fundamental reason for unraveling this settlement is good: the payment protected the Sacklers and the company from any civil suits by the victims. The Seventh Amendment to our Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil and criminal cases. Watching a Judge take an ax to a settlement agreement between government lawyers and Big Pharma that screws ordinary people is heartwarming in a weird way.
Judge Throws Out Purdue Pharma’s Deal to Shield Sacklers From Opioid Lawsuits