Statement by Edward Neiger, Co-Managing Partner of ASK LLP, on the Supreme Court’s Decision in Purdue Pharma

ASK LLP represents more than 60,000 opioid victims in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy. Today the opioid victims in Purdue Pharma lost 5-4 at the Supreme Court.

Obviously, I am devastated but I am thinking about our amazing clients at this time who worked for the last five years to get justice for victims and help abate the opioid crisis, which the plan would have done.

The Purdue plan was a victim-centered plan that would provide billions of dollars to the states to be used exclusively to abate the opioid crisis and $750 million for victims of the crisis, so that they could begin to rebuild their lives. As a result of the senseless three-year crusade by the government against the plan, thousands of people died of overdose, and today’s SCOTUS decision will lead to more needless overdose deaths.

The addiction crisis is the largest health crisis of our time, with hundreds of people dying of overdose every day, yet the victims have been abandoned by every branch of the government: the legislative, the executive, and now the judicial. We are in the midst of a contested presidential election and the opioid crisis is not on either candidates’ radar.

I am still absorbing it (actually in shock), but obviously it’s devastating. But we plan to continue fighting for the victims, with our fingernails if that’s all we have left, to get them get justice and to help abate the opioid crisis.

May God bless the victims.