U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Urges Judge Not to Exempt Billionaire Sackler Family from Legal Consequences

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One day before a hearing in the ongoing Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is urging Judge Robert P. Drain not to shield the Sackler family, who made billions through their ownership and management of Purdue Pharma, from legal action for their role in its decades-long deceptive marketing campaign for addictive opioids.

“We cannot effectively serve the public interest without investigating the Sackler family and therefore I ask that you modify the injunction to exclude them from protection from legal action,” wrote Senator Baldwin in her letter.

Baldwin continued, “It is shameful that the Sacklers have been granted this leniency while those in the grip of substance use disorder – who lack the Sacklers’ billions – suffer. In an effort to seek justice for the thousands of families that have lost loved ones, and recourse for injuries and deaths that have impacted every city, county, and state in America, we have not shied away from holding individuals accountable for their roles – doctors, nurses, and pharmacists from around the United States have been held accountable for their actions. But the Sackler family has not, despite their role in a deceptive marketing campaign that accelerated an epidemic that has claimed an estimated 400,000 lives while generating $35 billion in revenue.”

Baldwin joins two dozen states, including Wisconsin, in calling on Judge Drain not to shield the Sackler family from legal consequences in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy proceedings. In December, Baldwin led ten of her Senate colleagues in calling on Purdue Pharma to cancel a planned $1.3 million bonus for CEO Craig Landau.

The full letter to Judge Drain is available here.