U. S. District Court Judge Fallon ruled on Wednesday, that thousands of lawsuits, which claim Vioxx, caused heart attacks, strokes and other conditions couldn't be pooled into one national class action suit.
Judge Fallon was appointed to deal with all federal suits involving Merck's withdrawal painkiller has ruled on the possibility of separate class-action suits on a state level. He rejected the plaintiff's proposal to try all cases in New Jersey the home state of Merck & Co.
Each plaintiff's home jurisdiction has a stronger interest in deterring foreign corporations from personally injuring its citizens and ensuring that its citizens are compensation than New Jersey does in deterring its corporate citizens wrongdoing."
Merck has vowed to fight each Vioxx case individually