U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in New Orleans ordered a new trial to assess damages owed to retired FBI agent Gerald Barnett but left intact a jury's finding two weeks ago that Merck was liable for his 2002 heart attack. Jurors awarded Barnett $50 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.Easy come, easy go.
Seriously, did anyone really think that amount would stand? We bet the plaintiff's lawyers didn't go out and spend any of it.
