Vioxx Verdict
The Vioxx verdict. The woman gets $250 million. At least that’s what the press reported…. In some articles, there was a little blurb towards the bottom of the article talking about Texas’ law is going to force the award to be reduced DRAMATICALLY. Not to mention that even without the law, the judge would probably reduce that amount. Not to mention the appeal(s?) that’s going to drag this thing out for a long time. It’s not like there was a verdict and right afterwards, Merck went to the local Bank of America and got a cashier’s check for the woman.
But no, all the press reported on and all the majority of the public knows about is that the woman was awarded $250 million. Jackpot justice at its best, baybee!
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America is trying to change the public perception about them. Well, this is a great opportunity. Get out there and educate people about all the details that weren’t mentioned in the sensationalized headlines! The alarming thing to me is the animosity that was generated because of this verdict. I read somewhere that 66% of people in a poll thought the verdict was wrong. Some other blogs have been getting some rather nasty emails (Check out this one over at Evan Schaeffer’s place) It just pains me to know that opinions are being formed by people who don’t know more than what USA Today and Fox News tells them.
