Merck Challenges Plaintiff's Attempt to Add Sales Representative to Vioxx Claim

McALLEN, Texas - A Texas woman who claimed she was injured after taking Vioxx should not be permitted to add a Merck sales representative as a defendant in the case once it has been removed, the manufacturer argues in a brief filed recently in federal court. Sanchez v. Merck & Co., Inc., et al., No. 04-352 (S.D. Texas).

In a Dec. 6 opposition to plaintiff Olga Sanchez's motion to amend her complaint, Merck argues that Sanchez's attempt to add the Merck employee constitutes a 'thinly-veiled attempt to tamper with' the defendant's removal rights and similarly should not be permitted because …