A federal appeals court has ruled members of the Sackler family — the billionaire owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma — can receive complete immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. The legal shield could lead to a settlement in the range of $6 billion for thousands of plaintiffs, including states, local governments and tribes. Tuesday’s ruling reverses a 2021 court decision that did not protect Sackler family members from liability as part of Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy declaration. The case can still be appealed to the Supreme Court. Opioid overdoses have killed over half a million people in the U.S. over the past two decades, according to the CDC, including prescription and illicit drugs.