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Federal Court dismisses Vioxx lawsuit against Merck
Class Action |
2007/04/13 20:15
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| A New Jersey federal judge dismissed a class action brought by investors of Merck & Co. Thursday, ruling that the suit was filed after the statute of limitations had run. The investors had said that Merck had deliberately concealed information from them about the safety record of its arthritis drug Vioxx. US District Court Judge Stanley Chester determined that the clock on the two-year statute of limitations started to run in September 2001 with the release of a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration, coupled with subsequent attention from financial analysts and members of the press. The first fraud complaint against the company was filed in November of 2003. Since the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, it may not be filed again. Merck pulled Vioxx from the market in September 2004 after a study showed that it could double the risk of heart attack or stroke if taken for more than 18 months. The price of Merck stock jumped by almost 10% following news of the class action dismissal. |
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Class action or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued. This form of collective lawsuit originated in the United States and is still predominantly a U.S. phenomenon, at least the U.S. variant of it. In the United States federal courts, class actions are governed by Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule. Since 1938, many states have adopted rules similar to the FRCP. However, some states like California have civil procedure systems which deviate significantly from the federal rules; the California Codes provide for four separate types of class actions. As a result, there are two separate treatises devoted solely to the complex topic of California class actions. Some states, such as Virginia, do not provide for any class actions, while others, such as New York, limit the types of claims that may be brought as class actions. They can construct your law firm a brand new website, lawyer website templates and help you redesign your existing law firm site to secure your place in the internet. |
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