Judge Denies Merck Motion to Stay Vioxx Case, Allows Limited Discovery to Proceed

OKLAHOMA CITY - A judge in Oklahoma has ruled that there is no reason to delay discovery in a Vioxx personal injury suit while the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation determines if and where it intends to transfer and consolidate all pending federal suits seeking damages caused by the arthritis drug. House v. Merck & Co., Inc., No. 04-1235 (W.D. Okla.).

In an order entered Nov. 19, Judge Stephen P. Friot of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma said that granting Merck & Co., Inc.'s motion to stay would indefinitely delay its responses to discovery, which …