Merck Challenges Pre-transfer Remand Order in MDL 1657

NEW ORLEANS - Merck & Co., Inc. has filed an objection in the Vioxx MDL to a magistrate judge's recent order that remanded a personal injury case that was pending in an Alabama federal court for more than two years. In re: VIOXX Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1657 (E.D. La.).

In a brief filed Feb. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Merck claims that the MDL court should consider the remand motion as part of its coordinated process, which will include ruling on other cases where the defendant says plaintiffs have improperly …