North Carolina Attorney General Plans to Sue Purdue Pharma Family

North Carolina’s attorney general says he’s pursuing accountability from the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma with a pending lawsuit over their role in the country’s opioid epidemic.

Attorney General Josh Stein said Friday a lawsuit targeting the Sackler family will be filed “imminently.” The state previously sued the company.

Thousands of local governments and more than 20 states reached a tentative settlement Wednesday that could be worth up to $12 billion over time, though critics believe the real value could be much lower.

Stein says the deal’s requirement for the Sacklers to pay up to $4.5 billion simply isn’t enough for their role in aggressively marketing and selling highly addictive painkillers.

Virginia this week joined at least 20 other states suing one of the country’s richest families.