- Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
- Affirmative Recovery
- American Indian Law and Policy
- Antitrust and Trade Regulation
- Appellate Advocacy and Guidance
- Business Litigation
- Civil Rights and Police Misconduct
- Class Action Litigation
- Commercial/Project Finance and Real Estate
- Corporate Governance and Special Situations
- Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy
- Domestic and International Arbitration
- Entertainment and Media Litigation
- Health Care Litigation
- Insurance and Catastrophic Loss
- Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation
- Mass Tort Attorneys
- Medical Malpractice Attorneys
- Personal Injury Attorneys
- Telecommunications Litigation and Arbitration
- Wealth Planning, Administration, and Fiduciary Disputes
Acumen Powered by Robins Kaplan LLP®
Ediscovery, Applied Science and Economics, and Litigation Support Solutions
-
April 23, 2024David Martinez Recognized Among Top 100 Lawyers in Los Angeles by LA Business Journal
-
April 15, 2024Robins Kaplan Named to 2024 BTI Client Service A-Team
-
April 9, 2024Robins Kaplan LLP Files Complaint Against Social Media Giants Meta, Snap, TikTok on Behalf of Spirit Lake Nation, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
-
April 30, 2024Navigating Generational Dynamics
-
May 2-3, 2024ACI Advanced Forum on Managed Care Disputes and Litigation
-
May 6, 2024Litigating with the Legends
-
March 2024e-Commerce: Pitfalls and Protections
-
March 22, 2024‘In re Cellect’:
-
March 14, 2024How Many Cases Have You Tried to a Verdict?
-
September 16, 2022Uber Company Systems Compromised by Widespread Cyber Hack
-
September 15, 2022US Averts Rail Workers Strike With Last-Minute Tentative Deal
-
September 14, 2022Hotter-Than-Expected August Inflation Prompts Massive Wall Street Selloff
Find additional firm contact information for press inquiries.
Find resources to help navigate legal and business complexities.
Purdue Bankruptcy – Opioid Update
Spring 2021
Mass tort cases do not usually bankrupt the defendant. But, in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, three of the defendants have so far declared bankruptcy. The litigation involves the claims brought by thousands of cities, counties, tribes, and other plaintiffs, all consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of Ohio (the “MDL”). Their damages, caused by the opioid epidemic, total in the trillions of dollars.
Purdue Pharma, often considered the creator of the opioid epidemic, declared bankruptcy in September of 2019, resulting in a stay of all opioid litigation against it in the MDL and in various state court proceedings across the country. But the fight did not stop there; it instead continued in bankruptcy court. There, Purdue, states’ attorneys general, the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee of the MDL, the Tribal Leadership Committee, and many other stakeholders participated in numerous mediations to attempt to resolve just how Purdue’s bankruptcy estate (valued at $10 billion, including $4.275 billion from the Sackler family – the owners of Purdue) would be allocated.
Tara Sutton, partner at Robins Kaplan LLP and member of the Tribal Leadership Committee, participated in these mediations, advocating that the tribal allocation should exceed the tribal share of the U.S. population, in light of the disparate impact the opioid epidemic has had on tribes, and the lack of abatement infrastructure available to many tribes.
After months of negotiations, an allocation agreement was reached. On March 15, 2021, Purdue Pharma submitted a proposed Plan of Reorganization to the federal Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. Under the plan, tribes will be allocated approximately 3% of the public entity allocation, which exceeds their share of the U.S. population. “The tribes are disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic, and this settlement is an acknowledgement of the unique damage suffered by the tribes,” said Sutton. Robins Kaplan is proud to have achieved this result for tribes.
Related Professionals
Holly H. Dolejsi
Partner
Deputy Chair, Mass Tort, Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Groups
Pronouns: she/her
Related Publications
In Conversation with Tara Sutton, Head of The Mass Tort Practice at Robins Kaplan
Related News
If you are interested in having us represent you, you should call us so we can determine whether the matter is one for which we are willing or able to accept professional responsibility. We will not make this determination by e-mail communication. The telephone numbers and addresses for our offices are listed on this page. We reserve the right to decline any representation. We may be required to decline representation if it would create a conflict of interest with our other clients.
By accepting these terms, you are confirming that you have read and understood this important notice.