Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog

Link of the Day - Friday Fun

I don't know if the television commercials at this site are real, but they sure are funny. It's safe to open and play these files.

Link of the Day - Registered Agents for Every State

RegisteredAgentInfo is a Web site maintained by my friend Terry Berger. It has links to the appropriate Web site for registered agent searches in each state. This is very handy when filing suit against an out-of-state corporation.

Link of the Day - Federal Tax Forms

Most plaintiff lawyers try to avoid giving tax advice. But if one of your clients needs information about a particular tax form, either current, or in the recent past, 1040.com is a great source. Here's the site's description:

1040.com is an online tax resource dedicated to helping you find the information, news, and forms you need to complete your taxes. Search, download, and print any tax form you need, visit links to the IRS website, find the answers to your tax questions, and get the latest news and information, all in one location. 1040.com is your one-stop tax source!

Former Merck Scientist Acknowledges Data Not Made Public

A story today by the Associated Press about the current Vioxx trial in New Jersey says Merck's former research chief acknowledged that data from studies on the effects of the painkiller Vioxx on Alzheimer's disease patients, showing an increased incidence of deaths, were not immediately disclosed to physicians. When asked by the plaintiff's attorney if doctors should have been made aware of the study, the Merck scientist replied: "It's data that physicians should know."

Link of the Day - Federal Statistics

FedStats is a government Web site that acts as a portal to statistical reports from over 100 federal government agencies, broken down by agency and by states. Very helpful.

Merck Executive Testifies About Battle Over Vioxx Warning

As reported in an article at Newsday.com, a Merck executive testified today at the New Jersey Vioxx trial that Merck battled the FDA to determine whether a cardiac risk warning should be prominently placed or hidden in the fine print of the Vioxx packaging. The executive testified that Merck projected a $500 million drop in sales of Vioxx if the warning had to be prominent. Merck won the battle, and the warning was buried in the "precautions" section of the Vioxx literature.

Link of the Day - Daubert Testimony on the Internet

Daubert on the Web is a helpful site maintained by attorney Peter B. Nordberg. The site is "intended to make information about the law of expert evidence available, for free, to interested persons."

Nordberg also has a Daubert blog, which reports on relevant news and information.

Link of the Day - Nolo Press

Nolo Press has a Web site that contains a lot of self-promotion. But it also contains excellent self-help articles for consumers. The purpose of the site is to empower consumers to handle their own legal problems without hiring lawyers. Of course, I think this is short-sighted, and can cost people far more money than just hiring lawyers in the beginning. But the articles are usually informative, and helpful even for lawyers who need to get a little information outside their normal practice areas.

FDA Chief Forced to Resign?

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford abruptly resigned Friday, according to this Dallas Morning News article. Crawford has been under fire recently for several episodes of questionable judgment. The dangerous drug Vioxx was pulled off the market during Crawford's reign.

Link of the Day - RefDesk.com

Most Internet users are familiar with the terrific research portal refdesk.com. One feature that may be underutilized is the list of dictionaries (scroll down and look on the left side of the screen), including legal and medical dictionaries. This is a great one-stop resource.