What to Know About the Supreme Court’s Purdue Ruling: QuickTake

The US Supreme Court striking down the $6 billion settlement between members of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma LP — their bankrupt drugmaker, which makes the painkiller OxyContin — has many implications. While uncertainties remain for Purdue, the Sacklers and victims of opioid addiction, one certainty from the Court is that these kinds of settlements are no longer allowed in bankruptcies.

What was the decision?

The 5-4 ruling determined that the settlement would improperly shield Purdue’s owners, the Sackler family — some of whom together own the company but unlike Purdue were not in bankruptcy. The outcome rejects their ...