Attorneys have completed closing arguments in the trial of the state of Alabama's lawsuit against two prescription drug companies. The jury now has the case. An attorney for the state of Alabama has asked jurors to make two drug companies pay as much as $800 million in a lawsuit accusing the firms of fraud in Medicaid drug pricing.

An attorney for Alabama asked jurors Monday to award the state as much as $800 million from two pharmaceutical companies accused of overcharging for Medicaid drugs. The state claims GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis engaged in fraud from 1991 to 2005, depriving the cash-strapped Medicaid program of badly needed resources. Attorneys for the two firms said the companies followed federal rules and the prices were proper.

The National Law Journal recently selected Jere Beasley as one of the top 10 litigators in the nation, including him in its special section, Winners. Here, writer Emily Heller profiles Beasley and shares his secrets of success.

Investors might find it easier to sue insurance agents and carriers, thanks to new standards from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., attorneys said.

Children First Foundation, Inc. (CFF) hosted The Jere Beasley Evening for Children at the Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Montgomery on last week. The event was designed to help the Foundation raise the funds necessary to advocate for the state's children on the legislative level. CFF felt that by celebrating the philanthropic work done by Mr. Bealsey, one who has given much to the less fortunate of the state, especially its children, could raise needed funds and educate the audience about the importance of action on the legislative level for children and their families, said a Foundation spokesperson.

Soaring gasoline prices are bad enough. But this summer, California's higher temperatures could add an additional 8-cent-a-gallon wallop because pumping warmer fuel gives motorists less energy per fill-up.

Children First Foundation will hold the Jere Beasley Evening for Children today at the Renaissance
Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center.

The Vioxx litigation has attracted big names from the mass tort bar. And, though he’s not among plaintiffs counsel, per se, the lineup now includes Mr. Civil Action. That, of course, is Jan Schlichtmann. The Massachusetts plaintiffs lawyer became nationally known in the 1980s, when he represen…

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday that more than one pharmaceutical company can be tried at the same time in the state's lawsuit accusing more than 70 drug companies of fraud in over­charging the state's Medicaid pro­gram.

(Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Novartis AG must face trial together in a lawsuit in which Alabama accuses them of inflating drug prices, costing the state Medicaid program $130 million in overcharges, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled.