Advisers Make Millions in Bankruptcy as Opioid Victims Get Zero

Nancy Zailo is at the back of the line.

She’s behind Jeffrey Stein, the Rite Aid Corp. chief executive collecting $300,000 paychecks every month. She’s behind consultants at Alvarez & Marsal, who have billed the pharmacy chain $75 million and counting. She’s behind bondholders and behind $2,000-an-hour lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis. And she’s behind lenders like Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. that are collecting millions of dollars in interest from a credit line carrying the company through bankruptcy.

Only after they’ve all been paid — along with many, many others — could some of what’s left go to thousands ...