“A Punch in the Gut”: After Years of Waiting, Many Opioid Victims Will Be Shut Out of Purdue Settlement

ProPublica and The Philadelphia Inquirer report that Purdue Pharma's revised $7.4 billion bankruptcy settlement will exclude tens of thousands of opioid victims despite nearly 140,000 filing claims, with fewer than half receiving any compensation. The revised plan—approved by a federal judge in November 2025—slashed maximum victim payouts from $48,000 to $8,000 for overdose deaths and eliminated a critical affidavit provision that allowed victims without prescription records to prove harm, a standard accommodation in other major bankruptcy cases (Boy Scouts, Catholic Church). The article, authored by named investigative journalist Craig R. McCoy and co-published with a major regional outlet, is grounded in extensive documentary evidence (court filings, transcripts, sworn declarations) and direct victim testimony; the reporting details how eligibility changes occurred in five weeks with minimal public discussion and notes that victims' own attorneys—firms collecting up to 40% of individual awards—endorsed the tighter criteria without publicly explaining the affidavit removal. Corroborating reporting from AP, Reuters, and PBS confirms the judge delayed sentencing on Tuesday to allow victim participation, while The Guardian and Reuters provide context on the broader Sackler settlement; notably, independent sources do not yet appear to have detailed the specific exclusion numbers or affidavit elimination this article breaks, suggesting ProPublica has conducted original investigative work on this narrower finding.