Suits against OxyContin owners on hold; negotiations ordered

GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

A judge has kept lawsuits against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own it on hold until Feb. 1 but ordered the parties to negotiate a new settlement. Connecticut and Washington state argued Wednesday that suits against the Sacklers should be allowed to move ahead immediately. The hold on litigation was set to expire Thursday after another judge threw out a settlement of thousands of lawsuits on the toll of opioids. The company says it will appeal that ruling. Judge Robert Drain warned Wednesday that if there aren’t “good-faith” settlement negotiations quickly, he’d end the protections for Sackler family members even earlier.