Free Republic

The Virginia Supreme Court has issued a ruling in the case of Casey v. Merck & Co. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had asked the Virginia court to rule on two issues regarding Virginia law and a statute of limitations for class actions. A class action was filed ...

In the battle between sound science and the trial bar, it was probably too much to hope that Merck would win the lawsuit whose verdict came down Friday. There was no direct causal link between Vioxx and the arrythmia that the autopsy showed had caused the death of a Texas man whose wife brought the suit. The only evidence for such a link was the speculation from the medical examiner that Vioxx had caused a heart attack that she had not been able to detect and had not bothered to put on the death certificate. But no matter. This was...

The civil jury system, John Edwards argues, is good for America. He ought to know. A veteran trial lawyer on a case that confirmed his belief in the true meaning of justice Edwards, a former trial lawyer, says lawsuits deliver justice to average Americans By Sen. John Edwards NewsweekDec. 15 issue - I’ll never forget the first time I met Jennifer Campbell. A charming, determined 5-year-old, she couldn’t walk or feed herself, and still needed a playpen. Because of a doctor’s terrible mistake, she was born with permanent brain damage. I met her loving, determined parents, who were hoping for...

Nonetheless, if opponents target the size of Edwards's court awards, aides say, he will try to steer the debate to the benefits derived by his injured clients. "He's proud of what he did for children and their families over the course of a couple of decades practicing law in North Carolina," says his spokesman Mike Briggs. Regardless of the specifics of cases, Bush and his business allies believe Edwards's association with trial lawyers, who polls show are unpopular with voters, will be a liability. They are gearing up for a massive campaign this fall to paint trial lawyers as the...