Hunt County joins statewide Purdue Pharma/Sackler bankruptcy settlement approved by commissioners

Hunt County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to approve the county’s participation in the proposed Purdue Pharma and Sackler family bankruptcy settlement negotiated by the Texas Attorney General.

County legal staff described the settlement as one of a series of multiyear opioid-related agreements arranged by the Attorney General. Staff advised the court that opting out and pursuing a separate lawsuit would be prohibitively expensive and likely infeasible under ongoing bankruptcy procedures. "You can either approve the attorney general moving forward with the proposed settlement, or you can take no action, in which case the county would get no money, or you can say no to that and file your own lawsuit," a staff member told the court. The staff member said the cost of experts alone would outweigh any likely recovery.

The court approved a motion to accept the bankruptcy settlement agreement and to authorize the Attorney General to proceed on the county’s behalf. The agreement will remain subject to bankruptcy-court approval and any adjustments the bankruptcy process requires.

Commissioners noted the county is one of many local governments making the same decision. "We are 1 of 254 counties," the staff member said. The court’s approval does not obligate the county to any additional action beyond consenting to participation and accepting the AG-led settlement framework.

The vote was taken by voice and the motion carried with no recorded opposition. No dollar figure specific to Hunt County was discussed during the meeting; staff said the county’s choice was limited to approving the AG plan or seeking independent (and likely impractical) litigation.