MERCK’S SPIN

In an article on money.cnn dated 1/18/08, the following was stated:

A total of 57,167 claimants have registered for the settlement program, which Fallon said represents about 95 percent of potential claimants. Merck has said it will withdraw from the agreement unless at least 85 percent of people in different groups of claimants sign on.

A total of 3,065 claimants already have moved on to the next phase and enrolled in the program, said Merck spokesman Kent Jarrell.

“We expect that we will meet and exceed the thresholds required for funding the settlement,” Jarrell said following Friday’s hearing. “We just don’t know when it will occur.”

See, money.cnn.com

for the whole article.

This is a prime example of Merck’s spin on things. First, the individual plaintiffs didn’t register for the settlement, their lawyers did it for them. Many did it without consulting their clients.

Doing the math, now this is approximate, less than 6% of the plaintiffs have signed (“opt-in”) the Release of All Claims. Merck has a long way to go and a little more than one month left to get the other 79% of plaintiffs to sign. Therefore, if you are currently a plaintiff looking to investigate your options, don’t get disheartened just because Merck is touting “success”. As they say, “the game aint over until the fat lady sings”.
And I am not singing!

To find out more about this and other points go to VPEG

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Tags: attorneys, Fallon, lawsuits, lawyer, Merck, settlement, vioxx