Purdue Pharma was convicted and ordered to pay $5.5 billion in an opioid lawsuit
The court ordered Purdue to pay $3.544 billion in criminal fines, which will be assessed in connection with the bankruptcy case, and another $2 billion in criminal forfeiture, the DOJ said.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo ordered Purdue Chairman Steve Miller to apologize directly to victims of the opioid epidemic in court Tuesday.
Arleo allowed nearly seven hours of testimony from victims who spoke about Purdue’s role in the opioid epidemic.
BIPARTISAN BILL WANTS TO STOP PHARMACES FROM PURCHASING DRUG COSTS TO MAKE MONEY.
A pharmacy tech pulls medication from a shelf inside a pharmacy in Provo, Utah on Aug. 7, 2025. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We are deeply sorry for all of the things that happened that were described in so much detail by all of the victims who are here today,” Miller said, adding that the company, “is very sorry and accepts responsibility.”
Arleo also said authorities repeatedly failed to restore Purdue.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Your government has failed,” Arleo said. “The inadequacy of what the law can provide today must be clearly stated.”
Purdue Pharma, which was already preparing to pay $7.4 billion as part of a bankruptcy settlement, addressed Tuesday’s sentence in a message on its website, noting that the company will cease operations later this week.
“On April 28, 2026, the US District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled against Purdue Pharma LP regarding the 2020 Plea Agreement with the US Department of Justice. Purdue is operating as usual and without interruption until May 1, 2026, when it will permanently cease operations,” the message said. “On that date, all of Purdue’s assets will be transferred to a newly formed company, Knoa Pharma LLC. Medicines distributed though Purdue will be distributed by Knoa Pharma.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
