Judge rejects opioid settlement over legal protections for Sackler family

Purdue Pharma deal arranged for the family to be guarded from lawsuits over their role in the US epidemic

A judge has rejected the OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement of thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic because of a provision that would protect members of the Sackler family from facing litigation of their own.

The ruling on Thursday from Judge Colleen McMahon in New York is likely to be appealed by the company, family members and the thousands of government entities that support the plan.