Sackler Trust halts new philanthropic giving due to opioid lawsuits

Sackler family’s Purdue Pharma faces hundreds of lawsuits over its drug OxyContin

A trust that has donated millions to medical science, healthcare, education and the arts has announced it is pausing all new giving as its members stand accused of helping to fuel the US opioid drug crisis.

The Sackler Trust is run by the Sackler family, members of which own Purdue Pharma, a company selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin. The business is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the US over its alleged role in the country’s opioid crisis, which kills more than 100 people a day. read more »

U.S. lawmaker seeks Boeing whistleblowers

A U.S. lawmaker on Friday urged current or former Boeing Co and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees to come forward with any information about the certification program for the 737 MAX, which has suffered two fatal crashes in five months. read more »

Amazon’s Zappos Rejected by U.S. Supreme Court on Data Breach Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal by Amazon.com Inc.’s Zappos unit, letting a lawsuit proceed over a 2012 hack that exposed the personal information of 24 million customers.

The rebuff is a setback for business groups, which urged the court to hear the appeal and tighten the rules for data-breach lawsuits. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said companies face similar suits over alleged vulnerabilities in internet-connected cars, home-security systems, children’s toys and medical devices. read more »

A dozen defendants head to court Monday in biggest-ever college admissions cheating scandal

Twelve people accused of crimes in the nation's largest-ever college admissions bribery case are set to make their initial federal court appearances in Boston on Monday.

Twenty-three additional defendants are scheduled to appear in court Friday in the city, where the explosive nationwide case is being led.

Monday's slate includes six college athletic coaches, one associate college athletics director, two ACT/SAT test administrators and two people who prosecutors say worked with William "Rick" Singer, the alleged ringleader of the cheating and bribery scheme. read more »