Purdue’s $40 Trillion of Opioid Claims Top Size of U.S. Economy
- That’s what cities, states, other claimants say they’re owed
- Settlement talks revolve around Purdue’s $10 billion offer
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By one measure, OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is staring down a mountain of legal claims totaling more than $40 trillion, or about double the U.S. GDP in 2020.
The $40 trillion figure outlined in court papers excludes an even more improbable claim of $100 trillion filed by an undisclosed party. But it does reflect a more-than $2 trillion ask by a group of states and cities to help them cope with the deadly epidemic that they blame in part on Purdue. The vast majority of claims are related to unresolved opioid litigation.