The increased heart risk from Merck & Co.'s withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx appears to begin earlier and last longer than previously believed, according to experts who reviewed new data presented to U.S. health regulators by the drug maker.

Six parents are suing the Autauga County Board of Education, Superintendent Larry Butler and a former substitute teacher for damages in a case where the teacher pleaded guilty to sexual abuse.

Seniors who took the painkiller Vioxx faced the highest risk of heart attack during the first two weeks on the drug.

For the first time, a jury has found Merck & Co. Inc. liable for a death in connection with the short-term use of the formerly popular painkiller Vioxx.

After millions in expenses and hundreds of hours of court time in six separate trials, neither Merck & Co. nor plaintiff attorneys have captured the upper hand in the litigation blizzard that followed the withdrawal of the pain medication Vioxx.

So far, only a small number of plaintiffs' lawyers have been able to go toe to toe with Merck & Co. in court over its drug Vioxx.

At first, John McDarby's case looked like a loser. Frail, elderly and confined to a wheelchair after two broken hips, he was a 77-year-old diabetic with clogged arteries.

Nearly 40 Alabama residents have filed suit against a Florida-based mortgage service provider, claiming the company improperly charged home owners in a variety of ways.

Multiple trials are set in several Alabama counties this year, beginning in April, against Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, formerly Ocwen Federal Bank FSB. Ocwen, headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, is the largest third-party mortgage service provider in the United States.

Barbour County could be back in the national tort spotlight this summer when plaintiff lawyer Jere Beasley and his firm take pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to court over its arthritis drug Celebrex.