Wah Wah Wah
So Merck is paying $259 million because a guy died, and the jury couldn’t understand that there’s no evidence that Vioxx could have caused it.
Merck argued that Vioxx couldn’t have caused Mr. Ernst’s death because, according to his death certificate, he died of an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, not a heart attack. While scientific evidence suggests Vioxx can promote blood clots leading to a heart attack, no data have linked the drug with arrhythmias.
Jurors who voted against Merck said much of the science sailed right over their heads. “Whenever Merck was up there, it was like wah, wah, wah,” said juror John Ostrom, imitating the sounds Charlie Brown’s teacher makes in the television cartoon. “We didn’t know what the heck they were talking about.”
I know some of my leftist readers think this isn’t a problem because Merck is an evil corporation. But if this logic holds up in court to convict an evil corporation, there is no reason why it can’t be used against an individual.
You’ve got an alibi? Wah wah wah. DNA exonerates you? Wah wah wah. Your rights were violated? Wah wah wah.
Go to jail, egghead.