August 18, 2021 – It is believed to be the first time that Dr. Sackler has answered questions in open court about the family’s opioid business. Similar to an extended deposition he gave in 2015 to Kentucky state lawyers, Dr. Sackler offered testimony largely pocked with faint or absent recollections, terse statements and deflections to his legal team.
His voice often scarcely audible, he apologized for having laryngitis and appeared occasionally to fumble with the technology, which presented vexing challenges in volume level and in the opening of documents emailed to him as he testified.
Nonetheless, although he did not offer fresh insights into what is already on the record about Sackler family members’ roles in the company, his appearance was notable for what he refused to acknowledge.
Dr. Sackler had been called to appear for questioning by lawyers for states that oppose the plan, in part because they think that the Sacklers, in exchange for paying $4.5 billion, will receive legal protections that are too broad.
In a biting back-and-forth, Dr. Sackler said he did not know how many Americans had died from OxyContin. “You didn’t think it was necessary in your role as a chair or president of an opioid company to determine how many people had died as a result of the use of that product?” asked Brian Edmunds, a Maryland assistant attorney general.
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