Attorney General Phil Weiser is disappointed in Purdue plan

March 16, 2021 (DENVER)—Attorney General Phil Weiser expressed disappointment when reacting to the plan Purdue Pharma filed in bankruptcy court Monday night. Along with 23 other states, Attorney General Weiser released the following statement:

“I am disappointed in this plan. While it contains improvements over the proposal that Purdue announced and we rejected in September 2019, it falls short of the accountability that families and survivors deserve.

“Our states investigated Purdue and the Sacklers and filed the lawsuits to hold this criminal enterprise accountable. During the bankruptcy, our states worked together, across party lines, to force Purdue to turn over millions of pages of evidence and to question the Sacklers under oath. We also joined with every state and thousands of cities and towns to ensure that every dollar recovered is dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis.

“Now, the Sacklers and Purdue need to own up to their decades of misconduct and their role in creating this crisis. Purdue needs to amend its plan to provide for:

• A prompt and orderly wind-down of the company that does not excessively entangle it with states and other creditors.
• Additional value from the Sacklers to creditors, including the states, to confront the opioid crisis that is causing so much pain.
• Transparency in the form of robust document disclosures so the public understands the extent of Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ misconduct to make sure it never happens again.
• Protections for nonprofits over naming rights for charitable gifts.

“Opioid overdoses and addiction have devastated families and communities all around Colorado. We are committed to working with all parties in the bankruptcy to improve this plan and develop a fair resolution. By doing so, we can deliver critically needed assistance to the people of Colorado.”

Weiser is joined by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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