Vioxx liability case advances to pre-trial hearings News
Vioxx liability case advances to pre-trial hearings

[JURIST] The US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] began pre-trial hearings [Pretrail Order #1, PDF] Friday, launching the federal liability case against Merck & Co. [official website], producers of the painkilling product Vioxx [Vioxx consumer information]. Dozens of lawyers, handling over one thousand lawsuits, entered the courtroom before Judge Eldon E. Fallon [official profile], who was assigned last month to coordinate procedural pre-trial motions and discovery. Though the individual trials will be heard in the original federal jurisdictions, Merck earlier requested that pretrial motions be placed under one judge to ease costs of coordinating lawsuits filed around the county. Vioxx was removed from the market last year after a study revealed that it placed users at greater risks for stroke and heart attack [CBC News report]. Some drug industry analysts speculate that Merck's potential liability may reach $30 billion. The first trials will begin within 12 to 18 months. Read Merck's statement on pre-trial consolidation here. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.