Vanderburgh County opts into Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan and direct settlement

The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 26 to accept the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan and to join the Purdue Direct Settlement, actions county counsel and retained attorneys recommended to preserve the county’s claim and allow it to receive settlement distributions.

Craig (staff member) told the board this is the second time the board has been asked to act on the Purdue plan; an earlier approval was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court in previous litigation. He said retained counsel strongly advises acceptance and participation: opting in is necessary under the state statute that governs distribution mechanics and, without opting in, a jurisdiction would be barred from later opioid claims tied to the settlements.

The direct settlement contemplates scheduled payouts over 15 years. Craig said the State of Indiana is expected to receive more than $100 million under the anticipated payout schedule and that how much Vanderburgh County will receive must be calculated through established distribution steps; the attorney general’s office will initially receive funds pursuant to state statute, with county distributions to follow.

Sheriff (unnamed) confirmed the county has previously resolved to direct restricted opioid settlement funds to the sheriff’s office mental‑health wing; Craig confirmed restricted vs. unrestricted categorization will follow statutory and settlement rules. Commissioners voted “Yes” (Commissioner Gable, Commissioner Canterbury, presiding board president — name not specified) on both the bankruptcy‑plan acceptance and the direct settlement participation.