Justinian C. Lane, Esq.

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Vioxx Mistrial

From 1010wins.com:

"A judge declared a mistrial Monday in the first federal lawsuit over the once-popular painkiller Vioxx.

Merck & Co. emerged from its third Vioxx trial Monday with a hung jury when the panel failed, in about 18 hours of deliberations over three days, to side with the drug maker or the widow of a 53-year-old Florida man who died after taking Vioxx for about a month.

The jury resumed what was to be its fourth day of deliberations Monday, but within about 20 minutes, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon called the jurors in and reminded them they had agreed to reach a verdict in a ``reasonable time.''

"It has now been a reasonable time. We cannot get a verdict,'' Fallon said, declaring a mistrial. Federal litigation requires a unanimous verdict."

Let's see...  four down, 7,996 lawsuits to go.