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OxyContin Maker Sackler Family Sued by 500 Cities, Shunned by Tate Galleries

Owners of Purdue Pharma face massive new lawsuit claiming they contributed to addiction epidemic.

Members of the Sackler family, who owns opioid OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma, are now being sued by a conglomerate of more than 500 cities, counties and Native American tribes, The Guardian reports. The plaintiffs include people in 26 U.S. states who blame Purdue for creating “the worst drug crisis in American history.” The lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, says the Sackler family broke laws to “enrich themselves to the tune of billions of dollars, while hundreds of thousands of Americans died.” The Tate Gallery in London on Thursday also announced it would no longer be taking donations from the billionaire family, the BBC reports, days after Britain’s National Portrait Gallery also severed ties. “In the present circumstances, we do not think it right to seek or accept further donations from the Sacklers,” the Tate said in a statement.

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