Merck Wants Opinions of 'Expert with a Cause' Excluded Entirely from Vioxx Trial

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Merck has moved to exclude all testimony expected to be presented by plaintiff's expert Dr. David Egilman in a Vioxx case slated to go to trial in New Jersey on Sept. 12. Humeston v. Merck & Co. Inc., No. ATL-L-2272-03 (N.J. Super. Ct., Atlantic Cty.).

In a motion filed Aug. 8 in Atlantic County Superior Court, Merck accuses plaintiff Frederick Humeston of proffering Dr. Egilman as a one-stop shop for expert testimony, including opinions regarding Merck's legal duty to patients who took Vioxx and the suppression of certain research data showing that the drug caused an …