Plaintiff in Alabama Vioxx Case Files Motion for Sanctions Against Merck

ASHLAND, Ala. - The plaintiff in what is expected to be the first Vioxx case in the country to go to trial has filed a motion for sanctions against defendant Merck & Co. for allegedly violating a protective order in the case when it provided a newspaper reporter with details about a motion for summary judgment filed recently in the case. Rogers v. Merck & Co., Inc., No. CV-03-073 (Ala. Cir. Ct., Clay Cty.).

According to a motion for sanctions filed April 25 in Clay County Circuit Court, Merck alerted the media of its attempt to have the case dismissed …