Merck & Co. on Friday won one of several bellwether product-liability cases over its osteoporosis drug Fosamax. Not a good day for the slip and fall lawyers.
On another marathon Merck matter, Vioxx, New Orleans federal district court Judge Eldon Fallon ordered a payout of $315,250,000 to “all attorneys who performed common benefit work” in the case. That amounts to 6.5 percent of the $4.85 billion settlement.
Russ Herman of Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, plaintiffs liaison counsel, praised Fallon’s decision, which he said was “succinct” and “well-reasoned.”
Andy Birchfield Jr. of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, who was co-lead counsel in the Vioxx MDL, did not return a call for comment. Nor did Arnold Levin of Levin, Fishbein, Sedrad & Berma, a member of the plaintiffs’ steering committee. Among the other attorneys benefiting from Fallon’s ruling are Chris Seeger of Seeger Weiss; Thomas Kline of Kline & Specter; Richard Arsenault of Neblett, Beard & Arsenault; Shelly Stanford of Sanford Barlow; Elizabeth Cabraser of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein; Gerald Meunier of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer; Troy Rafferty of Levin Papantonio Thomas Mitchell Rafferty; Mark Robinson Jr. of Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson; Drew Ranier of Ranier, Gayle & Elliot; and Christopher Tisi of Ashcraft and Gerel.
Link: Merck Wins Fosamax Case | Lead Vioxx Plaintiffs Lawyers Awarded $315 Million of $4.85 Billion Settlement
