Vienna authorizes participation in Purdue/Sackler and additional opioid settlements; one official abstains

Vienna City Council voted to authorize the city's participation in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan, the Sackler family governmental entity settlement agreement and nine additional opioid-related settlements, as set out in the resolution read into the record.

Mister Skogstad told the council the city's attorneys recommended participation in the coordinated litigation and that settlement funds received must be used for opioid-related purposes to benefit the community. "We've done this with little to no cost directly to the city of Vienna," he said, adding that participating is a way to recover some of the city's costs responding to the opioid crisis.

Speaker 9, who identified themselves as an attorney involved in related litigation, announced an abstention from the vote because they expected to receive some portion of attorney compensation tied to the litigation. "I'll note my abstention in the vote," Speaker 9 said, explaining the reason to the council. The council proceeded with the vote and the resolution passed; the meeting transcript records the matter as adopted but does not list a numeric roll-call in the minutes.

The resolution directs the mayor or his designee and other designated city officials to execute participation forms and complete submissions by the deadlines specified in the resolution (GSA submission and other settlement participation forms through the fall of 2025). The resolution also authorizes officials to take actions necessary to effectuate participation, including executing agreements and submitting required forms.

Next steps: city officials will submit participation paperwork by the deadlines noted in the resolution and work with the local consortium/attorneys on administration of any funds received.