Montgomery law firm Beasley, Allen is on the winning side of a $4.85 billion settlement for users of the painkiller Vioxx who claim they were harmed by the drug.

Merck & Co. announced Friday that it will pay $4.85 billion to settle as claims by as many as 47,000 groups of plaintiffs over injuries linked to its blockbuster Vioxx painkiller.

The maker of the painkiller Vioxx has agreed to pay more than $4.8 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits in one of the largest civil cases ever.

Plaintiffs' lawyers this morning announced that Merck & Co. has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle the majority of claims over injuries linked to its Vioxx painkiller.

Merck & Co., Inc. has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to resolve Vioxx related claims in which a claimant has suffered a heart attack, sudden cardiac death, or stroke.

The Alabama Supreme Court, by tossing nearly 99 percent of a $3.6 billion verdict against ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, has refused to play Santa to state taxpayers.

Alabama has developed a reputation for the nation's most expensive Supreme Court races during a 12 year battle that has changed the court from all Democratic to overwhelmingly Republican.

Overturning Exxon verdict appears political, Gov. Bob Riley's legal adviser seemed surprised that the Alabama Supreme Court struck down the record $3.6 billion verdict for the state against the ExxonMobil Corp. in a dispute over natural gas pumped from Mobile Bay.

Gov. Bob Riley said Friday it probably wouldn't do any good to ask the Alabama Supreme Court to reconsider its 8-1 decision throwing out nearly all of a $3.6 billion judgment the state won against Exxon Mobil.

The Alabama Supreme Court has thrown out nearly all of a record $3.6 billion verdict that the state government won against Exxon Mobil in a dispute over natural gas royalties.