California Judge Says Vioxx Distributors May be Held Liable for Failure to Warn

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge in California has remanded a Vioxx personal injury complaint after determining that a distributor defendant named in the plaintiff's amended complaint after the case was removed to federal court may be found liable for the alleged injury under state law. Sokarda v. Merck & Company, Inc., et al., No. 05-177 (C.D. Calif.).

In a decision issued April 25, Judge John F. Walter of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California remanded the claims of Theodore M. Sokarda to Orange County Superior Court, despite defendant Merck & Co.'s claim that it is …