NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard & Lifshitz, LLP ("BL&L") (www.bernlieb.com) and The Lanier Law Firm (www.lanierlawfirm.com) announced that the firms have filed third-party payer lawsuits against Merck (NYSE:MRK) in state court in Atlantic City, New Jersey on behalf of the New York City Police Department, Detectives Endowment Association, Inc.'s (www.nycdetectives.org) Health & Welfare Fund and Retirees Health and Welfare Fund, and on behalf of the Ohio Carpenters' Health Fund (www.ohiocarpenters.com), to recover monies the self-insured funds paid for Vioxx during the period from 1999 to 2004. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Merck violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act in the way it marketed and sold Vioxx. The NJ Consumer Fraud Act provides for recovery of treble damages and an award of attorneys' fees and costs.
The lawsuits follow the September 2007 New Jersey Supreme Court's de-certification of a national class action on behalf of all third party payer self-insureds. BL&L Partner Eric Chaffin stated, "Self-insured funds spend hundreds of millions of dollars on pharmaceutical drugs for members and their families. The funds and their members suffer losses when pharmaceutical companies misrepresent the safety and efficacy of drugs like Vioxx. I have heard from some union members that as high as 80 to 90% percent of their hourly pay raises under new contracts go toward paying for rising health care and pharmaceutical costs. Funds are more frequently pursuing third party payer litigation to recoup losses and alleviate the health care cost burdens on their members." Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm stated: "We are pleased to be working with Bernstein Liebhard to right yet another wrong caused by Vioxx."
Bernstein Liebhard was established in 1993 as a boutique law firm to represent investors and consumers, including unions, in complex litigation throughout the United States. The Firm has grown to more than 45 lawyers, with offices in New York and Pennsylvania. Bernstein Liebhard is nationally recognized for its work on behalf of injured victims. The National Law Journal has named the Firm, for five consecutive years, as one of the top plaintiffs' litigation firms in the country. Moreover, the Firm has received Martindale-Hubbell's highest ratings for legal ability (A) and ethical standards (V).
The Lanier Law Firm was founded by W. Mark Lanier (http://www.lanierlawfirm.com/attorneys/w_mark_lanier.htm) in 1990 as a regional plaintiffs' firm. Since then, the firm has achieved a national presence, growing into a trial firm with verdicts and settlements in the billions of dollars. With offices in Houston, New York, Los Angeles and Palo Alto, the Lanier Law Firm has grown to more than 35 lawyers and is known for its effective and innovative solutions in courtrooms across the country. Mark Lanier is regularly recognized as one of the Top Trial Lawyers in America as well as one the Nation's 100 Most Influential Lawyers.
For more information about the lawsuits or Bernstein Liebhard's work on behalf of unions, please contact Partner Eric Chaffin (http://www.bernlieb.com/attorneys/chaffin.html) at chaffin@bernlieb.com or Partner Mel Lifshitz (http://www.bernlieb.com/attorneys/lifshitz.html) at lifshitz@bernlieb.com.
More information on this and other class actions can be found on the Class Action Newsline at www.primenewswire.com/ca.