Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and members of the Sackler family agreed to a roughly $7.4 billion opioid settlement that finally took legal effect on May 1, 2026 — after the Supreme Court threw out an earlier version of the deal. The claim window has closed, and individual victim payments have not yet started.
Where This Stands Right Now
The settlement is final and the money has started moving — but not to individuals yet.The bankruptcy court confirmed the rebuilt plan in November 2025, and it went effective on May 1, 2026. On that date the Sackler family paid more than $1.5 billion and Purdue's estate contributed roughly $900 million, with further Sackler payments scheduled over the following years. Purdue itself ceased to exist in its old form; its business now operates as Knoa Pharma, owned for the benefit of creditors.
For individual victims, the position is narrower and slower. The deadline to file a personal injury claim was July 28, 2025, and it has passed — no new claimants are being accepted. Claims already filed are still being reviewed, and the trust has said distributions on qualified and allowed claims are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026. As of the last public reporting in mid-2026, no individual victim payments had gone out.
The defendants did not admit wrongdoing, and no court has found any Sackler family member liable for the harms alleged.
Why the First $6 Billion Deal Collapsed
If you last read about this case in 2023, the deal you read about no longer exists. That is the single most important thing to understand about this page.Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 as opioid lawsuits mounted. The plan that emerged did something unusual: it shielded Sackler family members — who had not personally filed for bankruptcy — from opioid claims brought by people who never agreed to give up those claims. In exchange, the family would contribute billions.
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court rejected that structure in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. By a 5-4 vote, the Court held that the Bankruptcy Code does not authorize a plan to extinguish claims against a non-debtor without the consent of the claimants affected. The decision resolved a long-running split among the federal appeals courts, and it left the earlier settlement unusable.
It is worth being precise about what that ruling did and did not do. It was a decision about the limits of bankruptcy law, not a verdict on anyone's conduct. The Court also took care to note that it was not questioning consensual releases — which is exactly the door the rebuilt plan walked through.
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How the New Plan Fixed the Problem
The parties went back and negotiated a larger deal built on consent rather than compulsion. A new plan was filed in March 2025, the bankruptcy court confirmed it in November 2025, and it took effect May 1, 2026.The mechanism that makes it work is an opt-in release. Creditors who affirmatively chose, by March 1, 2026, to release claims against the Sackler released parties became eligible for additional distributions. Creditors who did not opt in kept their right to pursue the Sacklers directly — they simply forgo that extra money. Consent is given rather than imposed, which is what the Supreme Court's decision required. More than 99% of voting creditors supported the plan.
Key Dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 2019 | Purdue Pharma files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as opioid litigation mounts. |
| March 2022 | A roughly $6 billion agreement is reached with states, built on releases protecting Sackler family members. |
| June 27, 2024 | The Supreme Court rejects that plan 5-4 in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., holding the Bankruptcy Code does not permit nonconsensual third-party releases. |
| March 2025 | A rebuilt plan is filed, raising the Sackler contribution and replacing forced releases with opt-in consent. |
| July 28, 2025 | Personal injury claim deadline. Filing closes for individual victims. |
| November 2025 | The bankruptcy court confirms the ~$7.4 billion plan, with support from more than 99% of voting creditors. |
| March 1, 2026 | Deadline for creditors to opt in to releasing the Sackler released parties in exchange for extra distributions. |
| May 1, 2026 | Plan goes effective. Sacklers pay more than $1.5 billion; Purdue's estate pays about $900 million. Purdue's business continues as Knoa Pharma. |
| Q3 2026 (expected) | Trust distributions on qualified individual claims are expected to begin. Not a guaranteed date. |
Where the Money Actually Goes
The headline number is misleading if you read it as a victims' fund. Most of it is not.| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total plan value in cash to creditors | ~$7.4 billion |
| Additional amount tied to sale of the Sacklers' international pharmaceutical businesses | up to $500 million |
| Paid by the Sackler family on the effective date | $1.5 billion+ |
| Paid by Purdue's estate on the effective date | ~$900 million |
| Reserved for individual personal injury victims | up to ~$865 million |
Who Qualifies, and What They May Receive
Eligibility was fixed when the filing window closed in July 2025. Broadly, the individual pool covers two groups: people who were prescribed and took a qualifying Purdue opioid and suffered harm, and children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome after opioid exposure before birth.| Claim group | Reported estimate |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 personal injury — evidence of at least six months of prescribed use of a qualifying Purdue opioid before September 15, 2019 | around $16,000 |
| Claims involving children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome | as little as ~$3,500 for some claims |
Can You Still File a Claim?
No. The personal injury filing deadline was July 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and claims received more than 15 days after that were disqualified. There is no open window, no late-claim process being advertised, and no way to be added now.That matters for a practical reason beyond disappointment. A closed, high-profile settlement with money visibly moving is exactly the setup scammers use. Important: nobody legitimate will contact you offering to file a Purdue claim today, and no real process asks for an up-front fee, a gift card, or banking passwords to release a settlement payment. If you already filed, the trust communicates with claimants directly and through their counsel.
If you filed and your paperwork was incomplete, you may have received a deficiency notice during the review period, typically with a window to supply missing records such as prescription documentation or a diagnosis. Anyone in that position should be working through their own attorney or the official trust channels rather than a third party.
What Happens Next
The remaining milestones are administrative rather than legal. The trust finishes eligibility review, determines allowed claims, and begins distributions — expected in the third quarter of 2026, though the administrator has framed that as an expectation rather than a commitment. Sackler payments continue on the schedule set by the plan over the following years, which is why individual distributions may themselves arrive in more than one installment rather than as a single check.We update this page as the trust publishes distribution news. If you are tracking a filed claim, the official trust and your own counsel are the authoritative sources for its status.
Questions
Can I still file a Purdue Pharma claim?
No. The deadline to submit a personal injury claim to the Purdue Personal Injury Trust was July 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and claims arriving more than 15 days after that were disqualified. There is no open filing window, and no new claimants are being added. Anyone contacting you offering to file a Purdue claim now is not describing a real process.
Why did the original $6 billion settlement fall apart?
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court held 5-4 in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. that the Bankruptcy Code does not authorize a plan to release claims against people who did not themselves file for bankruptcy, without the affected claimants' consent. Because the earlier plan shielded Sackler family members from opioid claims on exactly that basis, it could not stand. The ruling was about what bankruptcy law permits; it was not a finding that any Sackler was liable.
How much will individual victims receive?
No final per-person figure has been published. The plan sets aside up to about $865 million for individual victims, split between people harmed by Purdue opioids and children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Reported estimates put a Tier 1 personal injury claim near $16,000 before deductions, and advocates have said some claims for children could land near $3,500 before attorney's fees, expert costs and medical liens. Treat all of those as estimates, not entitlements.
When do payments actually arrive?
The plan went effective May 1, 2026 and institutional payments began that day, but individual victim payments had not started as of mid-2026. The trust has said distributions on qualified and allowed claims are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026, after eligibility review finishes. That timing is an expectation from the administrator, not a guaranteed date.
What is the difference between the money going to states and the money going to victims?
Most of the $7.4 billion is directed to governments and public entities to fund opioid abatement — treatment, naloxone distribution, prevention and related programs. That is separate from the roughly $865 million pool reserved for individual personal injury claimants. A state receiving abatement money does not mean a resident receives a check.
Did the Sacklers admit wrongdoing?
No. The settlement resolves claims without any admission of liability, and family members have denied wrongdoing throughout. Under the confirmed plan the releases are consensual: creditors who affirmatively opted in by March 1, 2026 released their claims against the Sackler released parties in exchange for additional distributions, while those who did not opt in kept the right to sue.
Sources
• U.S. Supreme Court, Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. (June 27, 2024)• Purdue Pharma — plan of reorganization and restructuring announcements
• Purdue Personal Injury Trust — claim deadlines and claimant FAQs
• Kroll Restructuring Administration — official case docket and filings
• Massachusetts Attorney General — 55 attorneys general sign on to the $7.4 billion settlement
• American Bar Association, Business Law Today — analysis of the Supreme Court decision on third-party releases.
