John Curran

October 13, 2009 | Daily Report Online

MORRISVILLE, Vt. AP - Forget David and Goliath. This fight's between Matt and Monster.The maker of Monster energy drinks has taken aim at a Vermont brewery that sells a beer called "The Vermonster," ordering it to stop selling, advertising and promoting the craft brew because it could confuse consumers.

By JOHN CURRAN

4 minute read

December 15, 2008 | Daily Report Online

WATERBURY, Vt. AP - Worried your daughter's new boyfriend might have a nefarious past Want to know whether the job applicant in front of you has a rap sheetFinding out can be a mouse click away, thanks to the growing crop of searchable online databases run directly by states. Vermont launched its service Monday, and now about 20 states have some form of them.

By JOHN CURRAN

5 minute read

January 30, 2008 | Daily Report Online

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. AP - A town petition making President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney subject to arrest for crimes against the Constitution has triggered a barrage of criticism from people who say residents are "wackjobs" and "nuts."In e-mail messages, voicemail messages and telephone calls, outraged people are calling the measure the equivalent of treason and vowing never to visit Vermont.

By JOHN CURRAN

4 minute read

April 11, 2006 | Law.com

By John Curran

3 minute read

February 27, 2006 | Law.com

Lawyers for Merck and two men suing the Vioxx maker have agreed to time limits on testimony and will use chess clocks -- activated manually, each time a witness takes the stand -- to keep track. When the trial begins March 6, plaintiffs lawyers will have 40 hours to present their cases, not including opening statements and closing arguments. Lawyers for Merck will get 35. With Merck vowing to fight, one by one, more than 9,600 suits filed in state and federal courts, many are looking to speed the process.

By John Curran

5 minute read

April 06, 2006 | Law.com

A jury found Merck & Co. liable on Wednesday for one of two former Vioxx users' heart attacks in a split verdict that awarded $4.5 million in damages to one of the plaintiffs and $45 to the other to compensate him for the cost of the medication. The jury found the company failed to adequately warn both men about the risk factors linking the painkiller to heart attacks and strokes, but said the drug was only a factor in one of the men's illnesses.

By John Curran

5 minute read

September 09, 2005 | Law.com

A New Jersey judge agreed Thursday to bar an expert on business ethics from testifying on behalf of a man who blames his heart attack on the painkiller Vioxx. Lawyers for drug maker Merck said the testimony would be subjective, potentially confusing to jurors and a violation of court rules limiting expert testimony to scientific and technical topics. But the judge rejected Merck's motions to limit the testimony of three other experts who will testify in the trial, for which jury selection begins Monday.

By John Curran

3 minute read

September 16, 2005 | Law.com

Threatening to declare a mistrial, the judge hearing a product liability suit over painkiller Vioxx reprimanded manufacturer Merck & Co.'s lead lawyer for violating an order barring comments about lawyers in front of the jury. Judge Carol E. Higbee said Diane Sullivan had made repeated negative references about attorneys in her opening statement. "It's simply playing to the bias of jurors ... a certain perception that there are too many lawsuits and that it's causing society problems," Higbee said.

By John Curran

4 minute read

October 13, 2009 | Law.com

The maker of Monster energy drinks has taken aim at a Vermont brewery that sells a beer called "The Vermonster," ordering it to stop selling, advertising and promoting the craft brew because it could confuse consumers. The energy drink-maker, Hansen Beverage Co., wants tiny Rock Art Brewery to stop using the name "Vermonster" and to compensate it for attorney fees. The brewery owners have been told by five trademark attorneys that the law is probably on their side, but lengthy litigation could bankrupt them.

By John Curran

4 minute read

February 27, 2006 | National Law Journal

Lawyers for Merck and two men suing the Vioxx maker have agreed to time limits on testimony and will use chess clocks -- activated manually, each time a witness takes the stand -- to keep track. When the trial begins March 6, plaintiffs lawyers will have 40 hours to present their cases, not including opening statements and closing arguments. Lawyers for Merck will get 35. With Merck vowing to fight, one by one, more than 9,600 suits filed in state and federal courts, many are looking to speed the process.

By John Curran

5 minute read