As a coalition of lawmakers tries to hold the billionaire Sackler family accountable for its role in the opioid crisis, Washington’s most powerful business lobby group has now jumped into the intensifying battle over whether courts can grant sweeping legal immunity to those accused of corporate crime.

At issue is a feature of bankruptcy law known as a nondebtor release, which the Sackler family — owners of opioid maker Purdue Pharma — is trying to use to shield its entire corporate empire from current and future litigation. Facing a barrage of lawsuits over its role in the opioid epidemic, Connecticut-based Purdue declared bankruptcy in a New York court known for being friendly to corporate litigants.

Last month, judge Robert Drain approved the Sackler family’s sweeping immunity plan in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The Joe Biden administration is now appealing that ruling.