MDL Court to Appoint Special Master to Review Merck Privilege Claims

NEW ORLEANS - The federal Vioxx MDL has issued a notice that it will appoint a special master to review and make findings regarding thousands of documents over which Merck & Co. Inc. has asserted privilege. In Re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1657 (E.D. La.).

On March 21, Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who is overseeing the MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, said that the court intends to appoint Professor Paul Rice of the Washington College of Law at American University as special master because of his 'extensive experience in these matters.'