Ex Purdue Pharma chief denies responsibility for US opioid crisis

Richard Sackler’s denial of responsibility for the opioid crisis comes a day after another Sackler family member said the group would not accept a settlement without guarantees of immunity from further legal action.

The former president and board chair of Purdue Pharma told a court Wednesday that he, his family and the company are not responsible for the opioid crisis in the United States. Richard Sackler, a member of the family that owns the company, was asked whether each bears responsibility during a federal bankruptcy hearing in White Plains, New York, over whether a judge should accept the OxyContin maker’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits. For each, he gave a one-word answer: “No.”