A U.S. District Judge on Tuesday delayed the criminal sentencing of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma in order to allow victims to attend the court proceeding in person.
After seeing some victims of the opioid crisis protesting outside her courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, she said they should be allowed to attend in person too, and moved the hearing to next Tuesday.
When it happens, the judge is expected to order the company to forfeit $225 million to the Justice Department, clearing the way for the company to finalize a settlement of nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits it faces over its role in the opioid crisis.