Tennessee Attorney General Johnathan Skrmetti announced that a $7.4 billion settlement reached with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, has become legally effective, capping nearly a decade of work by attorneys general from across the country in pursuing investigations and litigation over Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ role in fueling the opioid crisis.

The attorneys general launched a multistate investigation of Purdue in 2016, and Tennessee sued Purdue in 2018.

After Purdue filed bankruptcy in September 2019 in light of massive litigation against it, the attorneys general have taken a lead role in the bankruptcy proceedings, including negotiating a new settlement that obtained more money from the Sackler’s after the Supreme Court in June 2024 invalidated provisions in a prior settlement.

The settlement gives funds to communities across the country, as well as individual victims and other groups who filed claims in the bankruptcy proceedings.

“No amount of money will ever be enough to pay for the damage inflicted by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, but I hope some Tennesseans can take solace knowing we fought to hold them accountable to the fullest extent possible and dismantled the company,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “Tennessee’s consumer protection team has worked relentlessly for nearly a decade in pursuit of accountability. We are glad that this settlement will fund opioid abatement efforts across Tennessee.”

Fifty-five attorneys general representing all eligible U.S. states and territories previously signed onto the settlement. It resolves litigation against Purdue and the Sackler’s for producing and aggressively marketing opioids in the United States, fueling the largest drug crisis in the country’s history.

The settlement permanently bars the Sackler’s from selling opioids in the U.S. and delivers funds for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery to communities across the country over the next 15 years. Tennessee is expected to receive $122.4 million from the settlement.