The three members of the Purdue Pharma family, which owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, sat silently or listened as Trainor described giving birth and how it was like to raise him. He still uses a sippycup and diapers at the age of 11.
Trainor and other victims of opioid addiction, as well as their families, had waited for years for this moment. A direct, but virtual, confrontation in court with the Sackler family over the effects of painkillers that have made them rich while fueling a deadly drug crisis. An extraordinary bankruptcy court hearing Thursday provided the opportunity for approximately two dozen victims and their families.
Many people left feeling exhausted, angry, relieved and confused about whether the Sacklers had been moved. However, many people gave statements expressing gratitude for being able speak up for loved ones who have died and to show solidarity. They also stated that they felt they had gained some resolution.
Trainor, a Kalamazoo, Michigan native, said that she can feel as a mother that her son was heard and seen by his family. She received an OxyContin prescription when she was 21 and quickly became addicted. Now 40, she is in recovery and helping others who are struggling with drug addiction.
She said that it was part of her healing, and part of a 20-year closure.
A mediator who assisted in the settlement of thousands against Purdue suggested that this hearing be held, which is unusual for U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The deal, if approved by the final court, will generate $10 billion to combat addiction and overdoses. In exchange for civil protection, the Sacklers could contribute as high as $6 billion. Under the settlement, $750 million will be split among up to 149,000 people who have suffered from addiction or lost loved ones.
On Thursday, victims from Hawaii to New Hampshire logged in with their accounts of illnesses and surgeries that led to OxyContin prescriptions. These stories included details of financial and personal ruin, as well as stories of suicide attempts and overdoses.
Vitaly Pinkusov described how he woke up to find his wife, 32 years old, cold in bed. Kristy Nelson recorded her panicked 911 call, in which she reported that her son wasn’t responding. Stephanie Lubinski recalled how her husband entered their basement and shot him in the chest.
Richard Sackler, former president of Purdue and board chairman, listened to the victims by phone. Some found it offensive that he didn’t face them. His son, David Sackler and a family member, Theresa Sackler appeared on camera. They seemed attentive, but showed little reaction.
“They just sat down there, alone, but stone-faced and never changed their expression, ever,” said a frustrated Lubinski from Blaine, Minnesota.
They have never offered an apology for their actions. Last week, they released a statement stating that they had acted legally but that they regretted that OxyContin “unexpectedly” became part of the opioid crisis that caused grief and loss to too many families.
In 1996 OxyContin, an innovative extended-release prescription painkiller was introduced. Purdue and other drug corporations funded efforts to encourage prescribers to consider opioids for a wider variety of pain conditions. Purdue claimed that less than 1% of opioid-prescribed patients developed addictions. However, there were no rigorous studies to back this claim.
There were many fatal overdoses from opioids, including heroin, prescription drugs and most recently, fentanyl, and other similar drugs. Purdue documents that were made public in lawsuits seem to show relatives downplaying the crisis at times.
Tiffinee Scott questioned the Sacklers if they’ve ever saved a child from overdose. She did so for her daughter, before she lost her to overdose at 28. The mother stated that Tiarra Renee Brown Lewis was given OxyContin to treat sickle cell disease pain.
She said, “Shame on You,” to the Sacklers. However, she later admitted that she didn’t expect a response from people she considers heartless. She said that the main point of the session was the effect of the families’ unity, and their collective message.
She said, “For once, it was like we had a sense that power over privilege, as it relates to the Sacklers.”
Dede Yoder used swear at the Sacklers when she drove past Purdue headquarters in Stamford Connecticut near her Norwalk home after her 21-year old son, Chris Yoder, succumbed to an overdose. The bankruptcy case and the public scrutiny of the Sacklers have helped her feel vindicated.
After making her statement at the hearing, she stated that “being part of this court records is very important, my son’s story being included in the record.”
Ryan Hampton, a Las Vegas resident, found “a level for catharsis” Thursday when he testified about the years of addiction and overdoses, as well as periods of homelessness that he experienced after sustaining a knee injury. He was both both annoyed that the victims’ families were trying to convey a message that should have come from authorities.
He, like many others who testified, wants the Sacklers criminally charged. Despite seven U.S. senators asking the Department of Justice last month to investigate it, there is no indication that this will occur. Purdue Pharma has twice pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Cheryl Juaire is, however, looking forward to the possibility of money flowing to addiction treatment programs to “start to heal our country.” Juaire, a Marlborough, Massachusetts resident, has lost two adult sons, Corey Merrill (who died in June) and Sean Merrill (who died just last month).
Jill Cichowicz lost Scott Zebrowski her twin brother. She hopes Thursday’s unusually personal hearing will “set the tone for future businesses, and they understand all the consequences of their actions.”
She had been thinking for a while about what she would say to the Sacklers, if given the opportunity.
“And then, when they are actually face-to-face with you, eye-toeye, you don’t get as mad.” Cichowicz from Richmond, Virginia, said that you are hurt. “It was a feeling of closure, but in that same sense, I still suffer, being hurt by their actions.”
