The former president and board chair of Purdue Pharma told a court Wednesday that he, his family and the company are not responsible for the opioid crisis in the United States. Richard Sackler's denial of responsibility for the opioid crisis comes a day after another Sackler family member said the group wouldn't accept a settlement without guarantees of immunity from further legal action. When Edmunds asked him if he knew how many people in the U.S. had died from using opioids, Sackler asked him to specify over which time period. Sackler asked. Under the proposed settlement, members of the Sackler family would give up ownership of Purdue and contribute $4.5 billion US over time in cash and control of charitable funds.

Source: CBC News August 18, 2021 20:48 UTC