| No. 23-124 | |
| Title: | William K. Harrington, United States Trustee, Region 2, Petitioner v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et al. |
| Docketed: | August 10, 2023 |
| Linked with 23A87 | |
| Lower Ct: | United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit |
| Case Numbers: | (22-110, 22-113, 22-115, 22-116, 22-117, 22-119, 22-121, 22-299, 22-203) |
| Decision Date: | May 30, 2023 |
| Questions Presented | |
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
| Jul 28 2023 | Application (23A87) for a stay, submitted to Justice Sotomayor. |
| Proof of ServiceMain DocumentLower Court Orders/Opinions | |
| Jul 28 2023 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (See order of August 10, 2023) |
| Jul 28 2023 | Response to application (23A87) requested by Justice Sotomayor, due by noon (EDT), Friday, August 4, 2023. |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent State of California, et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent Ad Hoc Group of Individual Victims of Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Purdue Pharma L.P., et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent Debtors, Purdue Pharma L.P., and Its Affiliates filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent Multi-State Governmental Entities Group filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent City of Grande Prairie, et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 04 2023 | Response to application from respondent The Ad Hoc Committee of Governmental and Other Contingent Litigation Claimants filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 07 2023 | Reply of applicant William K. Harrington filed. |
| Proof of ServiceReply | |
| Aug 08 2023 | Sur-Reply to Application of Debtors, Purdue Pharma L.P., and Its Affiliates not accepted for filing. (August 08, 2023) |
| Aug 09 2023 | Motion to Direct the Clerk to File a Sur-Reply filed by respondent Debtors, Purdue Pharma L.P., and Its Affiliates. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Aug 09 2023 | Motion to Direct the Clerk to File a Sur-Reply denied by Justice Sotomayor. |
| Aug 10 2023 | Application (23A87) referred to the Court. |
| Aug 10 2023 | Petition GRANTED. |
| Aug 10 2023 | Application (23A87) granted by the Court. The application for stay presented to Justice Sotomayor and by her referred to the Court is granted. The mandate of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in case No. 22-110 and the consolidated cases is recalled and stayed. Applicant suggested this Court treat the application as a petition for a writ of certiorari; doing so, the petition is granted. The parties are directed to brief and argue the following question: Whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve, as part of a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, a release that extinguishes claims held by nondebtors against nondebtor third parties, without the claimants’ consent. The Clerk is directed to establish a briefing schedule that will allow the case to be argued in the December 2023 argument session. The stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court. |
| Aug 21 2023 | The following briefing schedule is established: The joint appendix, petitioner's brief on the merits, and the brief of any respondent in support, is to be filed on or before Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Respondents' briefs on the merits are to be filed on or before Friday, October 20, 2023. Any reply brief is to be filed in accordance with Rule 25.3. |
| Sep 14 2023 | Letter of respondents California, Connecticut and Oregon notifying the Clerk that they will not be filing or joining a brief on the merits filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Sep 20 2023 | Brief of petitioner William K. Harrington, United States Trustee, Region 2 filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Sep 20 2023 | Joint appendix (Volume 1) filed. (Statement of cost for 2 vols. filed.) |
| Proof of ServiceMain Document | |
| Sep 20 2023 | Joint appendix (Volume 2) filed. |
| Main Document | |
| Sep 20 2023 | Brief of respondent Ellen Isaacs, on behalf of Patrick Ryan Wroblewski, in support filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 20 2023 | Brief of respondents City of Grande Prairie, as representative plaintiff for a class consisting of all Canadian municipalities, et al., in support filed. |
| Main DocumentOtherCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 21 2023 | Brief amici curiae of The Honorable Eugene Wedoff (Ret.), et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 26 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Martin J. Bienenstock, et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of NexPoint Advisors, L.P., et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of American College of Bankruptcy in support of neither party filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Insolvency Law Committee of Business Law Section of California Lawyers Association in support of neither party filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Adam J. Levitin filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of The Commercial Law League of America, et al. in support of neither party filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Kim Harold Peterson filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Basin Refining, Inc. filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Bankruptcy Law Professors Ralph Brubaker, et al. filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of "Texas Two-Step" Victims filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Bankruptcy Law Professors (Oct. 4, 2023) filed. |
| Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count | |
| Sep 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count | |
| Oct 12 2023 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, December 4, 2023. |
| Oct 16 2023 | Record requested from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. |
| Oct 18 2023 | Complete record on appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit electronically received and available with the Clerk. |
| Oct 19 2023 | CIRCULATED |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of respondents The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Purdue Pharma L.P., et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of respondent Multi-State Governmental Entities Group filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of respondents Ad Hoc Group of Individual Victims of Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of respondents The Ad Hoc Committee of Governmental and Other Contingent Litigation Claimants filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of Debtor Respondents filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Brief of Mortimer-Side Initial Covered Sackler Respondents filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 20 2023 | Letter of respondent Raymond Sackler Family filed. |
| Main Document | |
| Oct 23 2023 | Brief amici curiae of The Arkansas Opiod Recovery Partnership, The Association of Arkansas Counties, and the Arkansas Municipal League filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 25 2023 | Brief amici curiae of The Recovery Advocacy Project, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 26 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Certain Former Commissioners of the American Bankruptcy Institute's Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Law Professors filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Boy Scouts of America filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York filed. |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of The Chamber Of Commerce Of The United States Of America, The American Tort Reform Association, The Product Liability Advisory Counsel, Inc., And The National Association Of Manufacturers filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Cheryl Juaire, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Ad Hoc Group of Local Councils of the Boy Scouts of America filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amici curiae of Aldrich Pump LLC, Murray Boiler LLC, and Bestwall LLC filed. (Hard copy correction required and received--11/2/23.) (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Brief amicus curiae of Highland Capital Management, L.P. filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service | |
| Oct 27 2023 | Motion for divided argument filed by the debtor respondents and the creditor respondents. |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Nov 06 2023 | Motion for divided argument filed by debtor respondents and creditor respondents GRANTED. |
| Nov 20 2023 | Reply of respondents City of Grand Prairie, et al., in support filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count | |
| Nov 20 2023 | Reply of petitioner filed. (Distributed) |
| Main DocumentProof of Service | |
| Dec 04 2023 | Argued. For petitioner: Curtis E. Gannon, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For respondents Purdue Pharma L.P., et al.: Gregory G. Garre, Washington, D. C. For respondents The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Purdue Pharma L.P., et al.: Pratik A. Shah, Washington, D. C. |
| Jun 27 2024 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Gorsuch, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Thomas, Alito, Barrett, and Jackson, JJ., joined. Kavanaugh, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Roberts, C. J., and Sotomayor and Kagan, JJ., joined. |
| Jul 29 2024 | Judgment Issued. |
| Main Document |
| NAME | ADDRESS | PHONE |
| Attorneys for Petitioner | ||
| Elizabeth B. Prelogar Counsel of Record | Solicitor General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 SUPREMECTBRIEFS@USDOJ.GOV | 202-514-2217 |
| Party name: William K. Harrington, United States Trustee, Region 2 | ||
| Attorneys for Respondents | ||
| Paul D. Clement Counsel of Record | Clement & Murphy, PLLC 706 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314 PAUL.CLEMENT@CLEMENTMURPHY.COM | (202) 742-8900 |
| Party name: Mortimer-Side Initial Covered Sackler Respondents | ||
| Roy T. Englert Jr. Counsel of Record | Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 RENGLERT@KRAMERLEVIN.COM | 212-715-9100 |
| Party name: The Ad Hoc Committee of Governmental and Other Contingent Litigation Claimants | ||
| Gregory George Garre Counsel of Record | Latham & Watkins LLP 555 Eleventh Street, NW Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20004 GREGORY.GARRE@LW.COM | 202-637-2207 |
| Party name: Debtors, Purdue Pharma L.P., and Its Affiliates | ||
| Mara Ann Leventhal Counsel of Record | Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC 800 Third Ave., 30th Fl. New York, NY 10022 mleventhal@jhany.com | (212) 407-1218 |
| Party name: Raymond Sackler Family | ||
| Kevin C. Maclay Counsel of Record | Caplin and Drysdale, Chartered One Thomas Circle, NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 KMACLAY@CAPDALE.COM | 202-862-7841 |
| Party name: Multi-State Governmental Entities Group | ||
| Joshua Patashnik Counsel of Record | California Department of Justice 600 West Broadway, Suite 1800 San Diego, CA 92101 JOSH.PATASHNIK@DOJ.CA.GOV | 619-738-9628 |
| Party name: California | ||
| Pratik Arvind Shah Counsel of Record | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP 2001 K Street N.W. Washington, DC 20006 PSHAH@AKINGUMP.COM | 202-887-4210 |
| Party name: The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Purdue Pharma L.P., et al. | ||
| John Christopher Shore Counsel of Record | White & Case LLP 1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020-1095 cshore@whitecase.com | (212) 819-8394 |
| Party name: Ad Hoc Group of Individual Victims of Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al. | ||
| Joseph Carl Cecere | Cecere, PC 6035 McCommas Blvd. Dallas, TX 75206 ccecere@cecerepc.com | 469-600-9455 |
| Party name: City of Grande Prairie, as representative plaintiff for a class consisting of all Canadian municipalities, et al. | ||
| Ze-wen Julius Chen | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 2001 K Street N.W. Washington, DC 20006 chenj@akingump.com | 202-887-4475 |
| Party name: The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Purdue Pharma L.P., et al. | ||
| Brian Thomas Edmunds | Office of the Attorney General 200 St. Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202 bedmunds@oag.state.md.us | 410-576-6578 |
| Party name: Maryland | ||
| Neil F. X. Kelly | Vermont Attorney General 109 State Street Montpelier, VT 05609-1001 Neil.Kelly@Vermont.gov | (802) 828-2378 |
| Party name: Multi-State Governmental Entities Group | ||
| Jeffrey Allen Liesemer | Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered One Thomas Circle, N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 jliesemer@capdale.com | 2028625007 |
| Party name: Multi-State Governmental Entities Group | ||
| Michael Sague Quinn | Eisenberg & Baum LLP 24 Union Square East PH New York, NY 10003 mquinn@eandblaw.com | 212-353-8700 |
| Party name: Ellen Isaacs, on behalf of Patrick Ryan Wroblewski | ||
| Other | ||
| Martin J. Bienenstock Counsel of Record | Proskauer Rose LLP Eleven Times Square New York, NY 10036 MBIENENSTOCK@PROSKAUER.COM | (212) 969-3000 |
| Party name: Martin J. Bienenstock And Daniel S. Desatnik | ||
| Timothy Murphy Cornell Counsel of Record | Cornell Dolan, P.C. Ten Post Office Square, Suite 800 South Boston, MA 02109 tcornell@cornelldolan.com | (617) 850-9036 |
| Party name: FEDERATION OF SOVEREIGN INDIGENEOUS NATIONS | ||
| Robert Edward Dunn Counsel of Record | Eimer Stahl LLP 99 S. Almaden Blvd. Suite 600 San Jose, CA 95113 RDUNN@EIMERSTAHL.COM | 4088891690 |
| Party name: The Chamber Of Commerce Of The United States Of America, The American Tort Reform Association, The Product Liability Advisory Counsel, Inc., And The National Association Of Manufacturers | ||
| Noel John Francisco Counsel of Record | Jones Day 51 Louisiana Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 NJFRANCISCO@JONESDAY.COM | (202) 879-3939 |
| Party name: Ad Hoc Group of Local Councils of the Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Andrew Kenton Glenn Counsel of Record | Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 22nd Floor New York, NY 10036 aglenn@glennagre.com | (212) 970-1600 |
| Party name: Bankruptcy Law Professors Ralph Brubaker, Bruce A. Markell, and Jonathan M. Seymour | ||
| Leonard L. Gumport Counsel of Record | Gumport Law Firm, PC 225 S. Lake Ave Suite 300 Passadena, CA 91101 lgumport@gumportlaw.net | 626-432-7283 |
| Party name: Insolvency Law Committee of Business Law Section of California Lawyers Association | ||
| Deepak Gupta Counsel of Record | Gupta Wessler LLP 2001 K Street NW Suite 850 North Washington, DC 20006 DEEPAK@GUPTAWESSLER.COM | (202) 888-1741 |
| Party name: "Texas Two-Step" Victims | ||
| Douglas Harry Hallward-Driemeier Counsel of Record | Ropes & Gray, LLP 2099 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006-6807 DOUGLAS.HALLWARD-DRIEMEIER@ROPESGRAY.COM | 202-508-4776 |
| Party name: Law Professors | ||
| Michael Robert Huston Counsel of Record | Perkins Coie LLP 2901 North Central Avenue Suite 2000 Phoenix, AZ 85012-2788 mhuston@perkinscoie.com | 202-434-1630 |
| Party name: Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Colin Robert Jorgensen Counsel of Record | Association of Arkansas Counties 1415 West Third Street Little Rock, AR 72201 cjorgensen@arcounties.org | (501) 372-7947 |
| Party name: The Arkansas Opiod Recovery Partnership, The Association of Arkansas Counties, and the Arkansas Municipal League | ||
| Robert James Keach Counsel of Record | Bernstein Shur Sawyer & Nelson, P.A. 100 Middle Street, West Tower Portland, ME 04104 rkeach@bernsteinshur.com | 207-774-1200 |
| Party name: Certain Former Commissioners of the American Bankruptcy Institute's Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 | ||
| David R. Kuney Counsel of Record | 9200 Cambridge Manor Court Potomac, MD 20854 DAVIDKUNEY@DKUNEY.COM | (301) 299-4336 |
| Party name: The Honorable Eugene Wedoff (Ret.) and Law Professors Sara Green, George Kuney, Stephen Lubben, and Lawrence Ponoroff | ||
| Jeffrey Alan Lamken Counsel of Record | MoloLamken LLP The Watergate, Suite 500 600 New Hampshire Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20037 JLAMKEN@MOLOLAMKEN.COM | 2025562010 |
| Party name: NexPoint Advisors, L.P. and NexPoint Asset Management, L.P. | ||
| Jonathan Charles Lipson Counsel of Record | Temple University--Beasley School of Law 1719 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 jlipson@temple.edu | (215) 204-0608 |
| Party name: Bankruptcy Law Professors | ||
| Robert Mark Loeb Counsel of Record | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 1152 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 RLOEB@ORRICK.COM | 202-339-8475 |
| Party name: American College of Bankruptcy | ||
| Traci L. Lovitt Counsel of Record | Jones Day 250 Vesey Street New York, NY 10281-1047 tlovitt@jonesday.com | (212) 326-7830 |
| Party name: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops | ||
| Charles Kevin Marshall Counsel of Record | Jones Day 51 Louisiana Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001 ckmarshall@jonesday.com | (202) 879 3939 |
| Party name: Aldrich Pump LLC, Murray Boiler LLC, and Bestwall LLC | ||
| Jamie Billotte Moses Counsel of Record | Holland & Knight 200 South Orange Avenue Suite 2600 Orlando, FL 32801 jamie.moses@hklaw.com | (407) 244-5103 |
| Party name: Cheryl Juaire, Tiffinee Scott, Dede Yoder, Kathleen Scarpone, Stephanie Lubinski, Lynn Wencus, Gary Carter, Wendy Petrowsky, Kara Trainor, Kathleen Strain, Lindsey Arrington, Shannie Jenkins, Kerri Morales, C.R. Foster, and Robert Prochno | ||
| Jeffrey Nathan Pomerantz Counsel of Record | Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones 10100 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 1300 Los Angeles, CA 90067 jpomerantz@pszjlaw.com | (310) 772-2336 |
| Party name: Highland Capital Management, L.P. | ||
| Douglas Barrett Rosner Counsel of Record | Goulston & Storrs, P.C. 400 Atlantic Avenue Boston, MA 02110 drosner@goulstonstorrs.com | 617-5746517 |
| Party name: The Commercial Law League of America and The National Bankruptcy Venue Reform Committee | ||
| Jennifer Lynne Shelfer Counsel of Record | Arnall Golden Gregory LLP 2100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 350S Washington, DC 20037 jennifer.shelfer@agg.com | (202) 677-4030 |
| Party name: The Recovery Advocacy Project, the Kennedy Forum, End Overdose, and Team Sharing Inc. | ||
| Andrew C. Simpson Counsel of Record | Andrew C Simpson, PC 2191 Church street Ste 5 Christiansted, VI 00820 asimpson@coralbrief.com | 3407193900 |
| Party name: Atlantic Basin Refining, Inc. | ||
| Rupa Gupta Singh Counsel of Record | Niddrie Addams Fuller Singh LLP 501 West Broadway, Suite 800 San Diego, CA 92101 rsingh@appealfirm.com | 858.699.7278 |
| Party name: Kim Harold Peterson | ||
| Daniel R. Walfish Counsel of Record | Katsky Korins LLP 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 dwalfish@katskykorins.com | 212-716-3293 |
| Party name: Adam J. Levitin | ||
| Paul Howard Zumbro Counsel of Record | Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Worldwide Plaza--825 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10019 pzumbro@cravath.com | 2124741000 |
| Party name: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York | ||