In 2020, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin reached a settlement with victims of the

opioid crisis. The deal was worth $8 billion.

And what is your connection to the Purdue Pharma settlement case?

Just tell us a little bit about your story.

Well, I wish I wasn't part of the case. Just tell us a little bit about your story.

Well, I wish I wasn't part of the Purdue Varma case,

but my wife and I lost our son to an OxyContin overdose in 2009. His name was Brian. He was just shy of his 21st

birthday. Bill Nelson is one of the roughly 130,000 claimants eligible for a payout from the deal.

But Bill opposes the settlement.

I don't necessarily want any money, No amount of money is ever going to make me happy,

mirror my wife happy. It's not going to bring our son back.

What Bill does want is to go to court against the Sacklers, the family that owned and ran

Purdue. But Bill can't do that if the settlement is approved. That's because the agreement

includes a provision that protects the Sacklers from future civil lawsuits.

With the Sacklers, this is all about money.

Our only hope is to hit them where it hurts, and that's to be able to sue them and put them through hell.

The Sacklers have previously denied wrongdoing as owners of Purdue.

Now, the Justice Department has brought a case to the Supreme Court on behalf of people like Bill, a case that could sink the whole deal.

What would you want to hear from the Supreme Court in this particular case?

Well, very simple.

I want the Supreme Court to throw out the settlement.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza. It's Tuesday, December 5th.

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