Merck...dragged into Bribery probe by Government!

Because of a flurry of engagements - and travel in-and-out of town - I was a little remiss in updating some news alerts on Merck.

Last year, I reported on the landmark settlement claim Merck entered into with claimants, and complaint issues fielded my way by disgruntled Merck users who felt that the attorneys for the drug manufacturer were giving complainants the run-around.

Needless to say, it was quite a high-spirited dialogue, at both the WordPress and Blogspot sites where my posts were published.

Post:  02/02/10

http://julian1st.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/vioxx-settlementa-fraud-perpetrated-on-the-american-people-by-merck-lawyers/

Post: 08/07/09

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2009/08/vioxx80-million-dollar-settlement.

Now it appears that Merck is in hot water with the Government in respect to alleged acts of bribery.

The giant in the pharmaceutical industry has acknowledged being in receipt of inquiry letters from the Department of Justice and the Security and Exchange Commission.

Pursuant to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, information is actively being sought arising from Merck's business dealings with a number of countries overseas.

Merck - although cooperating with the authorities - shrugs off the finger-pointing as part of a broader probe that is focusing on the dubious Pharmaceutical practices of foreign companies which they have been allegedly dragged into by virtue of innocent daily business transactions.

News at 11!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Vioxx...$80 million dollar settlement pacted! Health Insurance providers, Unions & private sector parties to benefit...

Merck's ominous little pink killer pill!

Good news on the Vioxx front!

A breakthrough, perhaps?

According to a spokesperson, third-party litigants in pending lawsuits against Merck (the makers of the wonder killer-drug Vioxx) have entered into a settlement agreement with the beleaguered manufacturer.

A posse of snarling claimants were seeking reimbursements for pay-outs issued on behalf of their clients for the pain-reliever (!) - Vioxx - that has since been determined by medical experts in the field to be hazardous to one's health.

Initially, Health Insurance carriers argued in their legal briefs that had they known that Vioxx caused potential cardiovascular risks, they would never have given the nod to approve the prescription-drug costs.

On a more sinister note, legal counsel for the plaintiffs accused Merck sales representatives (and head honchos in Whitehouse N.J.) of concealing the facts in a deceitful bold-faced effort to mitigate potential damages.

Merck (a U.S. based outfit) pulled the drug off pharmacy shelves in because of the risk of heart attacks and stroke. (2004)

In spite of the fact the pill-pusher confessed they goofed - and (as a consequence) established to the American people in the interim that they lied about product safety issues from the get-go - Merck attempted to vigorously stave off multi-pronged litigation that began to spring up like nasty weeds around the country.

Although Merck prevailed in a few suits - and upper-level management vowed to fight all causes- of-action in a myriad of court jurisdictions tooth-and-nail to the bitter end - the drug-maker finally relented.

In what amounted to a complex (landmark) settlement agreement for a U.S. drug-maker, Merck agreed to cash pay-outs to claimants (based on a point system) who suffered personal injury and financial loss as a direct result of ingesting the prescription drug which turned out to be injurious to their health and overall well-being.

In spite of a basic consensus that the much-ballyhooed "good faith" settlement agreement was a remarkable turning point for all concerned - there were cheers all around from Merck execs, defense counsel, and lawyers for the plaintiffs jockeying for a piece of the high-stakes action - thousands of claims (and pending aspects of the original litigation) have yet to be resolved.

At this site, for instance, I reported that disgruntled Vioxx victims have been lamenting in recent months that Merck's settlement agreement was nothing but a fraud perpetrated on the American people.

Post: 02/24/2009

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2009/02/vioxx-settlementa-fraud-perpetrated-on.html

Post: 04/15/2009

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2009/04/vioxxcalifornia-courts-assign-plaintiff.html

Yup!

Victims are crying foul!

For instance, claimants assert that the complicated - and for the most part - deceiving settlement plan based on a confusing point-system - was deceitfully concocted by devious lawyers and scurrilous company executives to ultimately keep the promised settlement cash out of their needy hands and at arm's length.

In fact, Merck manipulated the settlement scenario, to one end.

Why, to rehabilitate Merck's image with U.S. consumers, of course!

In view of the fiasco I've witnessed go down - coupled with the comments claimants have made in response to my informative posts on the Vioxx issues in recent months - clearly, it will be a cold day in he** before the victims get their due (settlement cash in hand) or in a U.S. Court of Law.

Get real, folks!

The "point system" devised to divvy out the settlement spoils just ain't working.

Notwithstanding, greedy lawyers on both sides of the litigation have already carved up most of the scrumptious pie for themselves.

No wonder Judge Chaney has a headache!

Justice for all?

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said:

"The foundation of Justice is good faith"

Until Justice is forthcoming in the Merck litigation, Vioxx victims go empty-handed.

Maybe Judge Victoria Chaney needs a Merck pill to perk her up! Jurist presides over litigation filed by Los Angeles Victims

http://www.julianayrs.com

Vioxx...California courts assign Plaintiff liaison counsel for Vioxx victims!

A couple of weeks ago, I penned a post in which I referred to the Vioxx settlement agreement (pounded out last year) as a "fraud" upon the American people.

Post: 02/21/09

http://julian1st.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/vioxx-settlementa-fraud-perpetrated-on-the-american-people-by-merck-lawyers/



I was prompted to write the expose in view of the fact a number of victims involved in the Vioxx debacle have alleged in recent days that Merck (and their attorneys) have been giving them the run-around.



Although many litigants signed on for the settlement agreement in the spring of 2008, quite a large percentage of the victims haven't received one slim dime as of April, 2009.



In addition to the aforementioned scandalous conduct, Merck's attorneys have also engaged in deceitful bold-faced efforts to have lawsuits dismissed under a false premise.



For example, the claims office (and a handful of Vioxx plaintiff attorneys) have sent out notices to victims asserting that their failure to sign a "release" has placed their claim in jeopardy - and that until they sign on the dotted line - no payment will be forthcoming.



Upon close scrutiny, and after a bit of strenuous fact-checking, it is crystal clear that the "deficiency" that Merck refers to - that is alleging holding up claims - arises from a plaintiff's refusal to sign a release that will summarily "dismiss" the lawsuit against Merck with prejudice.



Disgruntled claimants have informed me they don't intend to sign any release for a dismissal of their lawsuits until the amount of their settlement has been determined and they are issued a draft for the total sum agreed upon.



Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?



Notwithstanding this glaring dishonesty on the part of Merck and all the attorneys involved in the Vioxx settlement "scam", there is another issue which has triggered some warning bells, too.



The claims office has been sending out notices to plaintiffs instructing them to sign a second legal document (lien notice) which guarantees that medical care facilities, doctors, insurance companies, and attorneys get their monies first by virtue of a lien.



Claimants worry that if they do sign off and permit a lien to placed on their "settlement" that they may not end up realizing the lump sum of money they were promised when they agreed to the landmark settlement offer hammered out with Merck attorneys last year.



For the aforementioned reasons, there has been a lot of confusion and ill-will running rampant across the Vioxx settlement landscape.



For this reason, the California Courts have assigned Plaintiff liaison counsel to assist the litigants in respect to their ongoing settlements disputes with Merck and their legal counsel.



Interested parties should contact the court of jurisdiction in California where their case against Merck is pending and secure the attorney information available with the aim of proceeding accordingly.

http://www.julianayrs.com

Vioxx Settlement...a fraud perpetrated on the American people!

After a few skirmishes in the courts with litigants over allegations that the intake of VIOXX resulted in life-threatening ailments, the manufacturer - Merck - agreed to a settlement with the claimants.

In the wake of that landmark announcement last year, the pharmaceutical giant proceeded to rehabilitate its image, claimants scrambled to sign the paperwork, and attorneys rubbed their hands with glee over the spoils to come.

In recent days, there have been grumblings from claimants that Merck has not been following through on their promise.

Moreover, as the accountants get ready to divvy up the pie, it appears that - as usual - the sharks (lawyers) will gobble up the lion's share of the settlement money, while needy claimants end up with a few crumbs or - in some cases - nothing at all.

Claimants started to get nervous late in the summer when checks were not forthcoming.

After all, a few months earlier they signed off on the agreement with the understanding that payments would make their way into their hands in August (2008).

Today, some are still twiddling their thumbs, waiting for their checks to arrive.

Are they in the mail?

Heck, no!

Now there is a new twist to the ongoing deception.

Some claimants have received confusing notices from claims administrators (Mr. Brown at BrownGreer with offices back East) and high-powered law firms handling the litigation in the local courts (Khorrami Pollard Abir LLP; Kabateck Brown Kellner) advising them that there is a "deficiency" in their paperwork which must be cured, otherwise their claim(s) will be in jeopardy.

The legally-binding document is deceptive on its face because it is not meant to resolve any deficiency at all, but rather, to trick the claimant into signing a "dismissal" of their lawsuit pending in the U.S. Courts.

A couple of wise old owls figured that one out and have informed Brown (claims office) that they don't intend to dismiss the suit until he produces two things: a release and - the obvious - a draft the sum agreed to.

But, the scurrilous conduct of the lawyers handling the settlements extends further.

Victims of the VIOXX fiasco have also been mailed "lien" documents.

A cover letter urges the addressee (claimant) to sign the paperwork to ensure that no problems arise (or delays occur) in the final stages of the settlement process.

In reality, signing the "lien" documents, guarantees that doctors and/or medical facilities - and lawyers who handled the litigation and subsequent claims - receive their fees upfront before the claimant receives their settlement check!

If anything is left, that is.

Claimants I have spoken to are suspicious and holding back on those signatures.

Frankly, I don't blame them.

Complaints directed to the Judge presiding over the case in Los Angeles (Victoria Chaney) have not triggered any investigation, or appropriate action, whatsoever.

Is it possible that the female Jurist is taking money from Merck under the "bargaining" table or does she have a cushy pact with the heavyweight law firms involved that guarantees her a cut to keep her yap shut?

News at 11!

http://www.julianayrs.com