Judge extends window pausing opioid litigation

Purdue Pharma LP secured a two-month window to negotiate a new pact with members of the Sackler family as the OyxContin maker and its owners brace for a potential wave of civil opioid lawsuits after the U.S. Supreme Court scuttled an earlier $6 billion settlement.

Judge Sean Lane said during a Tuesday court hearing in New York that he'd extend for 60 days an injunction that, for years, has paused opioid litigation against the billionaire family while Purdue, government authorities and victims lawyers attempted to effectuate the earlier settlement.

Advisers who negotiated the earlier deal will attempt to cut a new agreement during the two-month window that complies with the Supreme Court's ruling. Such a settlement, if successful, would likely compensate victims and provide billions of dollars to fund programs to combat the nation's opioid addiction crisis.

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