News

Maine to get $20M from settlement with opioid maker Purdue

Maine to get $20M from settlement with opioid maker Purdue

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine will get about $20 million from Purdue Pharma and the family that owns the company as part of a settlement stemming from a lawsuit about the opioid crisis.

The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma have agreed to pay more than $4.3 billion for prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the country. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said Thursday that thousands of individual victims of Purdue’s misconduct will also receive compensation via the bankruptcy process.

The opioid crisis has hit hard in Maine. The state is on pace to potentially surpass the record number of drug overdose deaths that occurred in 2020. There were more than 500 overdose deaths in Maine last year.

Purdue sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 as a way to settle some 3,000 lawsuits it faced from state and local governments and others. The lawsuits claimed the company’s continued marketing of its painkiller OxyContin contributed to the opioid crisis of the last two decades.

“No amount of money can undo the damage Purdue and the Sacklers have done to millions of families across Maine and the country,” said Frey, adding that “the money states are receiving for abatement is crucial for investing in prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts.”

Latest Headlines

23 hours ago in Local

Police Looking for Missing Washington County Teen

The Washington County Sheriff's Office are looking for 16-year-old Lilyanna Rose Cook, who was last seen in Roque Bluffs, Maine.

1 day ago in Local

Struck-down Maine citizen’s referendum on super PAC donations heads to appeals court

Despite getting over 75% of the vote, a Portland judge deemed the referendum unconstitutional this past summer, citing the ruling made by the Supreme Court on the 2010 Citizen's United case.

2 days ago in Local

Police find missing teen after vehicle pursuit in Skowhegan

A missing teenager was found in the vehicle of a Norridgewock man who police say led them on a chase in Skowhegan on Thursday.

2 days ago in Local

Maine State Police seeking information about bank fraud suspect in Aroostook County and Bangor

A woman is wanted for bank fraud in Bangor and Aroostook County.

3 days ago in Local

What to Know About Maine U.S. Senate Race

Democrats are hoping to unseat Republican Susan Collins.