John Oliver and NPR explain the Sackler family/Purdue Pharma opioid settlement

This morning, NPR reported The Sacklers, Who Made Billions From OxyContin, Win Immunity From Opioid Lawsuits.

Members of the Sackler family who are at the center of the nation's deadly opioid crisis have won sweeping immunity from opioid lawsuits linked to their privately owned company Purdue Pharma and its OxyContin medication.

Federal Judge Robert Drain approved a bankruptcy settlement on Wednesday that grants the Sacklers "global peace" from any liability for the opioid epidemic.

"This is a bitter result," Drain said. "I believe that at least some of the Sackler parties have liability for those [opioid OxyContin] claims. ... I would have expected a higher settlement."

"A bitter result" that Judge Drain still approved. This came as no surprise to me, as "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" previewed that clause of the settlement in Opioids III: The Sacklers last month.*

John Oliver explains how the Sackler family has been handling lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, how hard they’ve been fighting to defend their name, and why you should judge the situation for yourself.

On the one hand, the affected states and individuals will get some relief. On the other hand, permanent immunity from future lawsuits looks like a bad legal precedent. So do other parties, as NPR reported.

Critics of this bankruptcy settlement, meanwhile, said they would challenge Drain's confirmation because of the liability releases for the Sacklers.

"This order is insulting to victims of the opioid epidemic who had no voice in these proceedings — and must be appealed," said Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Twitter.

The U.S. Trustee Program, a division of the Justice Department that serves as a bankruptcy watchdog, also announced that it would seek a stay of Judge Drain's ruling pending the resolution of appeals.

The legal drama will continue even though Judge Drain approved the settlement. Stay tuned.

*Oliver mentioned that this is his show's third episode about opioids. I embedded the first in 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' on opioids updates decreasing life expectancy for the eighth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News. Here's the second, Opioids II, where the Sacklers play a starring role.

Following some recent revelations about the role of large companies in America’s ongoing opioid epidemic, John Oliver takes another look at the crisis.