Billionaire Sackler family wins immunity in opioid crisis cases – National & International News – THU 2Sept2021

Sacklers win immunity from OxyContin suits. Ida kills at least 25 in NY, NJ and PA. China’s ‘culture wars’ finally tackle deadly culture of overwork.

NATIONAL NEWS

Judge approves immunity for Sacklers against opioid crisis suits

Yesterday evening, Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved a settlement that will shield members of the billionaire Sackler family (owners of Purdue Pharma) against any further lawsuits for their roles in the opioid crisis. The settlement also provides immunity for hundreds of Sackler family associates and co-conspirators 

The settlement will require the Sacklers to surrender their holdings in Purdue, makers of OxyContin, and to pay $4 billion towards addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities and charities. Purdue will continue to sell OxyContin, but all future profits will go towards addiction treatment. 

The Sacklers have not apologized and admit no wrongdoing for their roles in fueling the opioid crisis. This is despite numerous internal memos and testimony from Purdue executives that show that Richard Sackler and other members of the family were instrumental in Purdue’s aggressive and deceptive marketing of OxyContin. The Sackler family’s net worth is estimated at around $10 billion, much of that built on OxyContin sales.

Reaction and remaining legal challenges

At least 500,000 people have died from opioid addiction since 1999. People whose lives have been affected by the opioid crisis, whether addicts or the surviving family members of addicts, have had mixed reactions to the settlement. Most feel the settlement does not go far enough and are angry that the Sacklers will continue to escape accountability for their roles in the crisis. Others believe that the money coming from the settlement is the most they could hope for, and believe it will help greatly in fighting the addiction crisis.

But the settlement is not done and dusted yet. Attorneys general in several states, notably Washington State, oppose the settlement and have vowed to challenge it. The Department of Justice is also considering a challenge.

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Remnants of Ida claim at least 25 more lives in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Hurricane Ida is no longer a hurricane, but it still managed to claim at least 25 more lives as it battered the Northeast yesterday and this morning. The weather system brought high winds and record rainfall to the area, even setting off tornados.

Videos of flash floods and water pouring down subway steps in New York City have gone viral. Rainfall broke a 94-year-old record in New York’s Central Park and a 62-year-old record in Newark, NJ. Both recording stations registered more than 3 inches of rain in one hour, the most ever in a single hour.

So far, New Jersey has reported 13 deaths, New York City 9, and Pennsylvania 3. These numbers may continue to rise as officials in these areas are still conducting damage assessments. Parts of New York and New Jersey are still underwater and both states have declared a state of emergency. Both governors and majors in the states and cities affected have urged people to stay off the streets.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

China tackles culture of overwork

Several “culture war” headlines have emerged from China in recent days. These include reforms limiting children’s online gaming to three hours a week, banning “sissy” pop idol competition shows, and a new school curriculum promoting “Xi Jinping thought”.

Unlike the reforms above, there’s one “culture war” in China that may actually benefit Chinese citizens. That is a war on China’s culture of overwork. Alibaba founder Jack Ma has previously extolled the virtues of what he called the “996” culture, that is working 9am to 9pm, six days a week. This culture has been at the core of China’s soaring economic growth in recent decades. Anyone who resisted was almost universally shamed as a “slacker”. 

Chinese law limits the work week to 44 hours and states that anyone who works more hours should receive overtime pay. But lax enforcement has enabled business owners to get away with widespread worker abuses. These include forced overtime and denial of overtime pay and even regular wages.

“Tipping point”

But growing disgruntlement among China’s populace at this brutal (and sometimes deadly) culture of overwork has finally prompted Beijing to act. China’s top court and labor ministry have issued a reminder to employers in a variety of sectors ranging from tech to construction that there are workers’ protections in place and that Chinese courts will enforce them.

It’s unclear what effect these warnings will have. But Dr. Jenny Chan of Hong Kong Polytechnic University says that workers’ anger “has reached a tipping point” that Beijing can no longer ignore. Much of this anger has coalesced following several recent high-profile deaths of overworked and underpaid workers from exhaustion and suicide.

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