The new Netflix series, “Painkiller,” opens with a disclaimer from a mother who lost her son to addiction. She notes the show is based on real events, but some of the names, places, and details have been fictionalized for television. She then makes a point, through tears, that what has not been fictionalized is the devastation and loss so many have experienced as a result of the proliferation of opioids. While “Painkiller” is a fictionalized account of the origins of the opioid epidemic, the investigations and legal proceedings referenced in the drama series have direct parallels to ongoing disputes in the highest courts of the nation.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court took under consideration the Biden administration’s challenge to a settlement agreement approved in the bankruptcy proceedings of Purdue Pharma. Under the terms of the settlement, members of the Sackler family (nondebtors) would be shielded from liability for their role in the proliferation of Oxycontin, using a bankruptcy tool referred to as a “third-party release.”

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