Are We Tired of Excessive Jury Awards Yet?
On August 17, a jury awarded $50 million in compensatory damages to a retired man who had taken Vioxx and suffered a heart attack. The basis of the award was lost future wages and earnings as well as medical costs. Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I would be hard pressed to earn $50 million for the rest of my life and I’m only in my 50s. And yes, medical costs are on the rise, but a few million ought to cover my future expenses. 
But today, U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon made the following ruling:
“No reasonable jury could have found” that Gerald Barnett was entitled to $50 million in compensatory damages from Vioxx maker Merck & Co. because of the heart attack he suffered in 2002
There will be a new trial on the amount of the award.
It is time for this country to do something about tort reform. These types of awards are just outrageous. I have spoken with my Congressman about it, but there are too many lawyers in Congress to ever see any changes and the trial lawyer lobby puts a lot of money behind Democratic candidates. But I am still outraged. We all end up paying the costs for these types of awards while the lawyers get richer.
AP story here.
Posted by COgirl
August 30th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Cogirl-a slight correction. All non-government lawyers get richer
August 30th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Yes, indeed, David. Correction noted.
September 3rd, 2006 at 8:23 am
China Law Evolving — Businesses Take Note
Twenty year old Luo Xiaoming died at a friend’s house after drinking too much. His parents sued the homeowner and the Yiwu City of Zhejiang court awarded them 35,192 Yuan (US$4,399) in compensation. According to the China Daily, this landmark