The Latest: Purdue says little harm to pause Sackler suits

The Latest on Purdue Pharma’s settlement efforts (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

Purdue Pharma is telling a judge that letting lawsuits continue against the company’s owners would deplete the assets it wants to use in a settlement.

But the OxyContin maker says stopping them would not cause much harm to the states suing members of the Sackler family.

Attorneys general for 25 states and lawyers for more than 500 local and tribal governments have asked a judge to let actions against family members move ahead.

It’s a key question in bankruptcy court, where a judge is working through Purdue’s attempt to settle some 2,600 lawsuits over the opioid crisis.

The company has said that if the Sacklers face litigation across the country, they may not be willing or able to kick in the $3 billion to $4.5 billion they have said they would contribute to a settlement.

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3 p.m.

Arizona’s attorney general is having misgivings about agreeing to Purdue Pharma’s proposal to settle litigation over the opioid crisis.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a court filing late Monday that the OxyContin maker has “sought to undermine material terms of the deal.”

The Republican agreed to the Purdue settlement right before the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

His filing is similar to those made last week by attorneys general in two dozen states and lawyers for more than 500 local and tribal governments.

They oppose the settlement and want to continue lawsuits against members of the family that owns the company.

Brnovich took their side and said that lawsuits against Purdue should move forward, but that he hasn’t pulled out of the settlement.

Purdue declined to comment.

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