A 2004 study revealed that those taking the Merck drug Vioxx were twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke.  What followed were thousands of injury and wrongful death suits against the pharmaceutical giant. One of these lawsuits was McDarby & Cona vs. Merck. In this lawsuit, John McDarby claimed that taking Vioxx caused him to have a heart attack. The outcome of the Vioxx case was that the jury ruled for the plaintiff, and awarded McDarby 4.5 million dollars in the original settlement.
In this video, you can view the closing argument of plaintiff‘s lawyer, Mark Lanier, as he delivers his famous “Desperate Executives” speech. Lanier describes how Merck executives covered up the potential effects of the Vioxx drugs and compares Merck execs to television’s “Desperate Housewives”.
After this video was taken, a jury went on to award additional punitive damages to McDarby agreeing with Lanier’s argument that Merck executives hid data from regulators that revealed the problems with the drug. While Vioxx has been withdrawn from the market Merck appealed several of the Vioxx decisions including the McDarby ruling.
Perhaps the most famous courtroom video of the past few decades is the one that shows the O.J. Simpson trial verdict. Many people remember where they were in 1995, when this courtroom video took place. The key players, such as Judge Lance Ito, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran and D.A Marcia Clark became overnight celebrities.
Before the OJ Simpson trial even started, the case was a national sensation. Much of this had to do with the “Bronco Chase” that occurred when Simpson fled the Los Angeles police in a low speed chase on a Southern California freeway. By the time the trial started, many people assumed that Simpson would be found guilty. However, a canny defense strategy followed by a shaky witness testimony from LA police detective Mark Fuhrman derailed the D.A.s attempts.
As the records show, OJ Simpson was not found guilty of murder. Despite this fact, Simpson‘s troubles have not stopped here. Soon after this verdict, OJ Simpson was found liable in a wrongful death suit for this same case. In addition to this, Simpson was convicted of armed robbery only a few years later. As of today, this famous football star‘s home is a small prison cell.
While the life of OJ Simpson has been shaky, this remains one of the most compelling courtroom videos of all time.
Nathan Cohen began smoking in 1940, at the age of 14, and continued all his life. Mr. Cohen was not diagnosed with cancer until May of 1994, and died shortly after of a smoking-related illness later that year. Mr. Cohen‘s widow, Robin Cohen, claimed wrongful death and sought compensatory and punitive damages.
The courtroom video below presents a key moment in the case. Defense attorney, Stephanie Parker, cross-examines Dr. Gary M. Straus and emphasizes there was no radiology report that states Mr. Cohen had cancer in his lungs until May of 1994. Dr. Straus argues a radiologist would not make a diagnosis if there is not an obvious cancer or mass shown in the films. Parker then restates that there was no medical record that indicated there was cancer in Mr. Cohen‘s lungs up until 1994. Dr. Straus then conceded that this was the case.
The defense on behalf of RJ Reynolds attempted to argue that Mr. Cohen died as a result of cancer of the pleura. This means that a lung cancer was not caused by smoking. However, the jury decided that Mr. Cohen‘s cause of death was lung cancer, and awarded monetary damages to Mrs. Cohen for a total of $30 million.
Owens Barcavage & McInroy, LLC have over 45 years of combined experience in state and federal courts. With expert prosecuting and defense experience, Owens Barcavage & McInroy have the knowledge to understand what to expect from any opponent. This helps them get the best outcome for their clients. Owens Barcavage & McInroy represent a wide variety of clients in various areas of law. In addition to being experienced Harrisburg personal injury lawyers, they also practice Family Law, Employment litigation, DUI defense, and much more.
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