On May 29, 2008, a Texas state appeals court overturned a $26 million jury verdict against pharmaceutical giant Merck awarded to widow Carol Ernst, who alleged that her husband died after taking painkiller Vioxx. That same day, the New Jersey Appellate Division reduced a jury award in a separate consolidated Vioxx lawsuit, finding that the plaintiffs were not entitled to punitive damages. In November 2011, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Merck & Co reached an agreement in which the company would pay $950 million in criminal and civil penalties related to Merck's marketing and distribution of Vioxx.

Learn more about Vioxx and the laws governing products liability from the JURIST news archive.