Amid rising rates of opioid addiction and deaths in D.C. and nationwide, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has announced that attorneys general from all eligible states and U.S. territories have agreed to a $7.4 billion national settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family.
Officials said the Sacklers have indicated they intend to move forward with the settlement, which they expect to resolve nationwide litigation related to Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ roles in the opioid crisis.
The District is expected to receive more than $21 million over the next two years as part of the agreement.
“This settlement holds Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family financially accountable for the damage they caused,” Schwalb said in a news release. “Their conduct caused extensive harm to communities in the District and across the country.”
Under the Sacklers’ ownership, Purdue Pharma manufactured and marketed opioid medications for decades. Officials said the company promoted its opioid products as safe and suitable for long-term, high-dosage use, which public officials allege contributed to widespread addiction and overdose deaths. The settlement will permanently end the Sackler family’s involvement in Purdue and prevent them from selling opioids in the U.S.
The $7.4 billion agreement is the largest settlement to date involving companies and individuals connected to the opioid epidemic. Most of the funds will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers are set to pay $1.5 billion, and Purdue about $900 million initially. Subsequent payments will include $500 million after one year, another $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.
The District will receive its full share of $19.58 million in the first payment, with approximately $1.5 million in attorney fees expected to be paid the following year.
As with previous opioid settlements, final approval and distribution of the funds will be subject to a bankruptcy court decision. A hearing is scheduled later this month.
Including this latest agreement, the Office of the Attorney General said it has secured nearly $104 million for the District from settlements with companies connected to the opioid crisis. Officials stated that the funds will be allocated for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts.
Between 2021 and 2024, 1,740 opioid-related deaths occurred in Washington, D.C., and it was affecting Black Washingtonians the most.
“Opioid deaths in the District fall most heavily among Black men and residents of Wards 5, 7, and 8, underscoring that this public health crisis raises health equity and systemic concerns,” according to a 2023 release from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.
After five consecutive years of increases, the number of fatal opioid overdoses in the District fell to 344 in 2024, down from 516 in 2023.
In the first two months of 2025, there were 41 opioid-related fatalities, a 27% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year.
According to a news release, the District’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, established in 2022, continues to provide recommendations on how to effectively utilize settlement funds to address the crisis locally.
“Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family knew full well how addictive and dangerous their opioid drugs were yet falsely marketed those drugs as safe,” Schwalb remarked. “Their deceptive conduct, while generating billions of dollars of corporate profits and shareholder distributions, exacted a massive human toll on communities across the District and country.”
