Commissioners approve participation form for Purdue Pharma/Sackler settlement; authorize county official to sign

DeKalb County commissioners on Aug. 18 authorized a county official to sign a participation form to receive money from the Sackler-family component of the Purdue Pharma settlement.

Susan, a county official who explained the forms, said the settlement material included two components: a bankruptcy proceeding and a separate settlement with members of the Sackler family. She explained, “First, there's a bankruptcy proceeding. Entities that submitted a proof of claim in the bankruptcy will receive a ballot to vote on the proposed bankruptcy claim. If you vote no, then DeKalb County would not receive any money from the bankruptcy settlement. Second, there is the settlement with members of the Sackler family. Unlike our other opioid settlements, to receive this money from the settlement, the county must complete the subdivision participation form and return it by September 30.”

Susan told the board she did not find a county bankruptcy claim on file and that county staff and the health department were not aware of prior claims that would make the county eligible for the bankruptcy distribution. Commissioners voted to authorize Bill (county official) to complete the DocuSign subdivision-participation form required for the Sackler-family settlement.

Why it matters: The participation form could make county opioid funds available for local opioid-response programs and would add to the county’s opioid-restricted/unrestricted funds overseen by the county’s opioid committee or appointed recipients.

Next steps: Bill will complete the DocuSign form and return it to the county auditor; staff will track any distributions and the opioid-committee process for recommendations on use of funds.