A Los Angeles jury found in favor of Merck and Co. in California’s first Vioxx trial. The jury found that Vioxx did not cause 71 year-old Stewart Grossberg’s heart attack in 2001. The defense showed Grossberg had high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, and a family history of cardiac problems. Merck and Co. has vowed to keep defending the withdrawn pain medication one by one.
According to MSNBC.com:
Merck has repeatedly insisted it will defend itself on a case-by-case basis and has so far not wavered in the face of calls for settlement talks.
Kenneth Frazier, the company’s general counsel, said in a statement Wednesday that the outcome of the Los Angeles trial validates that strategy.
This verdict however may have been different if Grossberg had not had some of the medical conditions above. Only time will tell whether this winning trend will continue for Merck and Co. For all the consumers out there whose lives have been turned up side down due to their consumption of Vioxx-Lets hope not….
A partner with Childers, Schlueter & Smith, LLC,, Brandon Smith has devoted his practice to pharmaceutical litigation, mass torts, products liability and serious personal injury. A frequent guest speaker at legal seminars all over the country—Brandon is focused on helping injured victims nationwide, however possible. Named a SuperLawyer again in 2019, he has also been called out as one of 10 Best Attorneys For Georgia by the American Institute Of Personal Injury Attorneys and a Top 100 Lawyer in Georgia by the National Trial Lawyers in 2019.
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