Vioxx lawyers shape case for jurors in opening arguments. Opening arguments are underway in the Metro East's first Vioxx trial.

It must be a bit lonely for the Independent to be pushing for an affirmation verdict from the Alabama Supreme Court in the notorious ExxonMobil case, when just about every major newspaper in Alabama has called the state's case everything from ludicrous to ridiculous.

The upcoming wrongful death lawsuit, Schwaller vs. Merck & Co, will be the first Vioxx case to be tried in the Illinois Circuit Court in Madison County and the first anywhere in the Midwest. It is possible that this case will set the tone for how Merck will handle cases in the future.

The state government has agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle lawsuits by 48 girls who said they were abused at a youth detention center near Birmingham.

Plaintiff's attorney John Driscoll of Brown & Crouppen will try to convince a jury that Vioxx caused or significantly contributed to the death of Frank Schwaller's wife in Madison County's first trial against Merck over the recalled arthritis pain reliever.

The state government has agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle lawsuits by 48 girls who say they were abused at a youth detention center near Birmingham.

A 3.6 billion verdict won by the stat against Exxon Mobil goes before the Alabama Supreme Court on appeal Tuesday with the company arguing the judgment-bigger that the state's General Fund budget-is unconstitutionally excessive.

Attorneys for the state of Alabama and ExxonMobil Corp. plan to argue before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday in appeal of a jury's verdict that Exxon owes the state $3.6 billion.

Attorneys on both sides said they hoped the Supreme Court would rule on the case within two or three months of the hearing, but there's no guarantee that it will.

Exxon Mobil Corp. is set to argue in front of Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday that a $3.6 billion fraud judgment against the company is unconstitutional and should be overturned.