# David Sackler **David A. Sackler** is the son of [[Richard Sackler]] and grandson of [[Raymond Sackler]]. He served on the [[Purdue Pharma]] board and is the only third-generation Sackler among the eight board-member heirs in the settlement, and he became the family's main public defender after the lawsuits began. The KB tracks him as the case study in how the family argued its position in public. The shared family story lives on [[Sackler Family]]. AP described him in 2019 as a Princeton graduate in his 30s who runs a family investment firm. He lives in New York. ## Purdue board, 2012–2018 The Massachusetts complaint says he joined the board in July 2012. In his own sworn July 2019 declaration, he gave his directorship as running "from July 19, 2012 until August 14, 2018," and denied directing any marketing or sales in Massachusetts. His tenure fell in the years after OxyContin's 2010 reformulation, as the first wave of state lawsuits was building. ## Summer Road Bloomberg (2019) described Summer Road LLC as "a family office run by David A. Sackler" providing investment management to an entity called Cap 1 LLC. Its holdings included hedge-fund strategies, a West Palm Beach office building, and stakes in drugmakers such as Ocular Therapeutix (about 8%) and Correvio Pharma (about 7%) (one source). ## The public defense | Date | Venue | What he said | |---|---|---| | 2019-06-20 | *Vanity Fair* interview | "Facts will show we didn't cause the crisis, but we want to help." Of the lawsuits: "I really don't think there's much in the complaints, frankly." His main regret was communication: "We have not done a good job of talking about this." | | 2020-12-17 | [[House Oversight Committee]] hearing, with [[Kathe Sackler]] | "To the American people I am deeply and profoundly sorry that OxyContin has played a role in any addiction and death," while adding, "I believe I conducted myself legally and ethically." | The hearing drew bipartisan anger. Rep. Jim Cooper told the Sackler witnesses that watching them testify "makes my blood boil." The pattern held across both appearances: he expressed sorrow but accepted no legal or moral responsibility. *[[Empire of Pain]]* author Patrick Radden Keefe found no "genuine moral epiphany" in the family's answers. ## After Harrington [[Harrington v. Purdue Pharma]] (June 27, 2024) removed the shield the first plan would have given him: a release binding every claimant, even those who objected. Under the January 2025 framework, he is one of the eight named heirs. Judge Sean Lane confirmed the plan on November 18, 2025, and it took effect on May 1, 2026. Purdue's assets passed to Knoa Pharma, and the family made an initial $1.5 billion payment. The family contribution is reported as up to $6.5 billion (Tennessee AG) or up to $7 billion (AP/PBS) over 15 years; individual shares are not public in the sources reviewed. His release covers only claimants who opted in, so suits by those who did not remain possible. ## See Also - [[Sackler Family]] · [[Richard Sackler]] · [[Raymond Sackler]] · [[Jonathan Sackler]] · [[Kathe Sackler]] - [[Purdue Pharma]] · [[OxyContin]] · [[Harrington v. Purdue Pharma]] · [[Opioid Crisis Timeline]] · [[Empire of Pain]]