My sisters' life = $50,000. Thanks, Merck!

[Neecy]

Two years ago, my sister died in her sleep from heart failure at the age of 47. She had been taking Vioxx for about a year and a half for a knee injury.

My brother-in-law decided to make Merck pay for the death of his wife. It was never about the money - it was about holding a huge corporation accountable for their greed and negligence. Today Merck announced a settlement.

From the New York Times:

Three years after withdrawing its pain medication Vioxx from the market, Merck announced today that it will pay $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 lawsuits by people who contend they or their family members suffered injury or died after taking the drug.

The settlement, one of the largest ever in civil litigation, comes after nearly 20 Vioxx civil trials over the last two years from New Jersey to California. After losing a $253 million verdict in the first case, Merck has won most of the rest of the cases that reached juries, giving plaintiffs little choice but to settle.

---

Based on the fact that the 27,000 suits cover about 47,000 sets of plaintiffs, the average plaintiff will receive just more than $100,000 before legal fees and expenses, which usually swallow 30 percent to 50 percent of payments to plaintiffs. Plaintiffs who do not want to accept the settlement can pursue their own claims, but with so many of the top trial lawyers in the United States agreeing to the deal, they may have difficulty doing so.

---
“It’s a fantastic deal,” said Danny Becnel, a Louisiana lawyer who said he represented about 1,000 plaintiffs. Mr. Becnel credited Judge Eldon E. Fallon of Federal District Court, who is overseeing the federal lawsuits from his court in New Orleans, with pressing the two sides to the table.

I hope that my brother-in-law finds closure. The amount for each plaintiff is small but the aggregate amount Merck has to pay does, I believe, hold them accountable. I'm not surprised, btw, that the lawyers are so thrilled by this. They'll get around 2 billion dollars of the settlement.

As for me, I'll never find closure. I lost my baseball buddy who loved attending games and cheering on the A's with me. I lost my fellow Democratic activist who attended rallies, drove voters to the polls and wore her donkey on her sleeve. I lost one of the funniest, kindest friends in the world. So, today all I have to say to Merck is ----- go fuck yourselves. GO FUCK YOURSELVES.

[Eurobabe]

1. So sorry for you and your family Neecy

:grouphug:

[Mandate My Ass]

2. So sorry for your loss, Neecy

and for the injustice of it all. I hope you and your family find peace and healing. (((hugs)))

[DemBones DemBones]

3. I'm so sorry about your sister. Her life was surely worth more

than $50,000. It's very hard to lose a sibling. :hug:

[Maggie_May]

4. Sorry

I know how it feels. I lost a brother years ago by electrocution by negligence of a company. My parent only recieved 30 grand for there lost son. I was thinking of the Merk thing this morning and was just sick to my stomach. I feel for you and your family and my heart goes out to you.

[AndyA]

5. I'm sorry for your loss, Neecy.

Your sister sounds like she was a good example of what we're all supposed to be like while here on Earth.

The world will no doubt be worse because she never had the full opportunity to make her mark. It's a real shame.

I share your sentiments regarding Merck.

[babylonsister]

6. There are no words; I have two sisters and cannot even imagine

losing your sister in a way that could have been so easily preventable. There's not enough money in the world to ease your pain. I'm so sorry. :hug:

[ClayZ]

7. I am sorry for your loss too, Neecy...

My brother died 4 years ago at the age of 54, from leukimia. He lived close to HANFORD NUCLEAR RES. his whole life. His first cancer was at 12 years old. I agree with your last 3 worlds. They are all out to "not give a shit" about anyone!

Peace,

Sandi

[Binka]

8. I Lost My Sister Last Year She Was 48

I am only 13 months younger and we were very close. I live in Santa Rosa and love the A's, maybe we could go to a game next season and become friends. :hug:

[Neecy]

10. you are so kind...

I'm so sorry about your sister. Mine was only a couple of years older than I and being so close in age really makes it tough. You grow up friends.

I left San Francisco 4 years ago and moved to Kansas City in part to be closer to my family. It's the best decision I ever made because I got to spend the last two years of my sister's life with her. Life works out in strange ways. But if I did still live there you can bet I'd take in a game at the Coli with you. Even if they're kinda rotton like last season :(

[truedelphi]

9. In a more just world, someone would have shut Merck down.

Or seen to it that whoever made the decisions on this got jail time, at the FDA offices, as they are overseers (supposedly) of the Pharma Industry, and in Merck's corporate offices.

My heart goes out to you and your family.

[greguganus]

11. Sorry for your loss..

..I lost a brother in a negligent scaffolding accident years ago, and what little my parents received went toward his funeral.
"It's a fantastic deal"...yeah...for the lawyers.

[OzarkDem]

12. A compelling story

thanks for sharing and putting a personal face on this tragedy. It makes it harder for some to dismiss these things as victimless crimes.

So sorry for your loss.

[Froward69]

13. I am sorry for your loss

I view this as a double edged sword. mt Dad was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer, about 6 months before vioxx, was taken off of the market. the hospice kept feeding it to my father to alleviate his pain. (@ $4.00 per pill charged to his estate.) he lasted about a year and a half after vioxx was pulled. my family and I decided to not raise much of a stink as dad agreed that as his death was inevitable. and a heart attack brought on by that drug was preferred to what inevitably happened. he ebbed away finally passing with horrible pain that no drug could alleviate.

The repug controlled county hospice where this happened sued his estate to pay their inflated bill. I am currently paying off the 100,000 dollar debt they ran up on banned drugs such as vioxx. as they bought a gross just prior to vioxx being pulled off the shelves. and had to make the money back off of their negligence. I tried to sue to reduce the outrageous bill. and lost in that corrupt rethug county.

[malaise]

14. Very sad

Fuck Merck

[Duppers]

15. ...

:hug: