How much money did the Sackler family take out of Purdue?
More than $10 billion between 2008 and 2016, according to legal analysis of the bankruptcy — distributions made while litigation mounted and the company's ability to pay creditors eroded.
According to a legal analysis of the bankruptcy, between 2008 and 2016, while OxyContin was being marketed, Purdue distributed more than $10 billion to or for the benefit of the Sacklers. These withdrawals became a central grievance for creditors, who argued the family had moved wealth out of the company as litigation mounted, leaving Purdue less able to pay. The family disputed the claims.
Notably, the Sacklers themselves never filed for bankruptcy; only the company did. That distinction became the core legal problem in the case: the family sought protection from lawsuits through Purdue's bankruptcy without subjecting their own assets to the bankruptcy process. In the first plan, confirmed in 2021, the Sacklers proposed to pay about $4.5 billion over nine years in exchange for broad releases.