The March of Dimes Alabama Chapter Central Division honored Morris Dees with its Citizen of the Year award. At a fundraising dinner and silent auction at Wynlakes Golf & Country Club, Dees accepted the honor from attorney Jere Beasley, last year's recipient.

Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 victims in the United States will die of an asbestos related disease - equaling 30 deaths per day.

In September of 2004, when Merck voluntarily removed their prescription pain medication, Vioxx, from the market, Product Liability Law once again moved into the realm of everyday news.

Lawsuits filed in Birmingham's federal court in recent months claim that popular restaurants, a movie theater chain and a ticket ordering service have violated a law that limits the amount of credit card information companies can print on customers' receipts.

Madison County Circuit Judge Daniel Stack may never get to decide whether Frank Schwaller will receive a new trial over his wife's death.

On Nov. 9, Merck & Co., after long insisting it would never settle the 27,000 Vioxx cases filed against it, turned an about face and agreed to a global settlement in which it will pay $4.85 billion to resolve the bulk of these cases.

A decision by Merck & Co. to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits over its painkiller Vioxx bought accountability but little comfort for the Palm Coast woman who brought the first federal suit against the company.

Plaintiffs in litigation over the painkiller Vioxx are supposed to be able to decide whether to enroll in the übersettlement announced last week or take their cases to court.

A Montgomery law firm took the charge against pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., winning a $4.85 billion settlement for thousands nationwide who took the arthritis painkiller Vioxx.

Merck vowed to fight til the death. They vowed to litigate each Vioxx case to conclusion. Apparently, that vow only applied until the statute of limitations ran on most of the cases.