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Federal Vioxx Trial Ends In Mistrial

The first federal Vioxx trial ended with a mistrial. Judge Eldon Fallon declared a mistrial when the jury could not reach a unanimous opinion, but stated he intended to try the case again, probably in February. That trial will return to the originally planned location, New Orleans, rather than Houston.

Some observers believe the mistrial is actually bad news for defendant Merck, because this was a weak case from the plaintiff standpoint. The victim in this case took Vioxx for only a month before suffering a fatal heart attack. If at least some of the jurors believed such a short-term use of Vioxx contributed to the heart attack, that bodes well for other plaintiffs who also took Vioxx for a short time.

In addition, the retrial will surely include new evidence about Merck covering up negative data from a major Vioxx study, as reported by the New England Journal of Medicine.

It’s possible the next state trial, scheduled for February 27, 2006, in New Jersey, will occur before the federal retrial. That case is stronger, because the plaintiff took Vioxx for two years before suffering a heart attack.

Bob Kraft

I am a Dallas, Texas lawyer who has had the privilege of helping thousands of clients since 1971 in the areas of Personal Injury law and Social Security Disability.

About This Blog

The title of this blog reflects my attitude toward those government agencies and insurance companies that routinely mistreat injured or disabled people. As a Dallas, Texas lawyer, I've spent more than 45 years trying to help those poor folk, and I have been frustrated daily by the actions of the people on the other side of their claims. (Sorry if I offended you...)

If you find this type of information interesting or helpful, please visit my law firm's main website at KraftLaw.com. You will find many more articles and links. Thank you for your time.

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