PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that South Dakota is expected to receive an estimated $10.1 million as its share of a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. The agreement, signed by 55 Attorneys General, ends the litigation against the company and family for their role in creating and then worsening the national opioid crisis.
“South Dakota families have suffered because of this company’s involvement in the opioid drug crisis,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The funds are important, but no amount of money will ever compensate families for the pain they have suffered watching loved ones deal with opioid abuse.”
Attorney General Jackley said the state’s share will be paid during a 15-year period. The payments go into the National Opioid Settlement Fund administered by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. Including this new settlement, South Dakota has obtained settlements committing about $54 million in funds from companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic. These funds will be used for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery.
Under the Sacklers’ ownership, Purdue made and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling the largest drug crisis in the nation’s history. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States.
Other Attorneys General who part of the settlement are from Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.