Connecticut Attorney General William Tong in his Hartford office in February. Photo: Michael Marciano/ALM

A spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has confirmed Tong attended a settlement conference Aug. 22 in Cleveland with other attorneys general related to opioid lawsuits filed against Stamford's Purdue Pharma.

In a statement Wednesday, Tong spokesperson Elizabeth Benton said, "I can confirm that Attorney General Tong was in Cleveland last week as a member of the leadership committee of state attorneys general on the opioid crisis. Connecticut is continuing to aggressively pursue its case against Purdue and the Sacklers [Purdue's owners]."

In a Wednesday statement, Purdue Pharma stated, "While Purdue Pharma is prepared to defend itself vigorously in the opioid litigation, the company has made clear that it sees little good coming from years of wasteful litigation and appeals. The people and communities affected by the opioid crisis need help now. Purdue believes a constructive global resolution is the best path forward, and the company is actively working with the state attorneys general and other plaintiffs to achieve this outcome."

An NBC report Tuesday said the Sackler family, the company's principal owners, planned to give at least $3 billion toward the settlement.

Tong has been among the most vocal of the attorneys general who have filed suit against Purdue Pharma. In April, Tong's office filed an amended 62-page lawsuit against Purdue and individual members of the Sackler family related to the alleged fraudulent transfer of funds from the company. Following an investigation in 2007, several Purdue executives pleaded guilty to charges they misled the public about the risks of their painkiller OxyContin.

Tong's campaign for attorney general last year outlined plans to litigate against Big Pharma over its marketing of opioids.

In an April interview with the Connecticut Law Tribune, Tong called Purdue's actions in marketing its products "some of the more shocking conduct I've seen, and frankly, to borrow a phrase from the U.S. Supreme Court, it shocks the conscience."

Tong said Purdue's marketing of opioids was misleading at best, and said the Sackler family should be held morally responsible, adding the company knew, since at least 2007, about misleading advertising and marketing campaigns related to its products. The attorney general added that he believed the company never properly addressed the issues, making matters worse.

"It wasn't just that they made opioids or sold opioids aggressively, or that opioids are a key part of the addiction crisis," Tong said. "What is really shocking is that knowing all of these facts, Purdue Pharma poured gasoline on the fire."

For its part, Purdue has repeatedly denied ever intentionally misleading anyone through its marketing and advertising campaigns.

A possible settlement with Purdue Pharma comes on the heels of news Monday that an Oklahoma judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million with regard to opioid addiction in that state and the company's role in it.