HOUSTON, Texas (Legal Newsline)--The famed Houston plaintiffs' attorney who Thursday saw a Texas appeals court toss out his client's $26.1 million verdict against Merck & Co. Inc. over the company's drug Vioxx said his client will appeal.

OXFORD, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - More than two months after pleading guilty to a judicial bribery scheme, famed plaintiffs attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs received the date of his sentencing hearing Thursday.

(Legal Newsline) - Merck & Co. Inc. notched two major legal victories Thursday, with appeals courts in Texas and New Jersey tossing verdicts against the drugmaker involving the painkiller Vioxx.

MIAMI, Fla. (Legal Newsline)-Medicare fraud in South Florida accounts for about one in five of the criminal cases brought nationwide over the last year, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-Disgraced securities lawyer Melvyn Weiss, who awaits sentencing for illegally paying clients to file shareholder complaints, actually injured shareholders, a report released Wednesday indicates.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Legal Newsline)-A New York jury on Tuesday ordered Strong Memorial Hospital to pay a former patient more than $17 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

WASHINGTON-Members of the U.S. armed forces would be able to sue the military for medical malpractice, if one New York congressman has his way.

SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Democratic legislative leaders in Oregon on Thursday named a special bipartisan panel to examine the Beaver State's tort laws.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline)-A $25 litigation tax on Tennessee residents involved in civil and criminal court proceedings would be allowed under legislation heading to Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline)-Arkansas holds its nonpartisan judicial election Tuesday, with observers watching closely the races for three seats in the state Court of Appeals.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) - After nine years of work, plaintiffs law firm Motley Rice is now wondering if it will be paid for its landmark lawsuit against the former manufacturers of lead paint, while others ponder if it should be.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) - Time might not run against the sovereign, but the clock is now ticking on Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch's historic lawsuit against the former manufacturers of lead paint.

OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-A group of students in California say they were ripped off by a bank that teamed up with bogus vocational schools to leave students deep in debt, according a lawsuit filed against KeyBank USA.

TEXARKANA, Ark. (Legal Newsline)-A reporter covering a hearing in the biggest class action lawsuit ever filed in America was asked to leave a Miller County, Ark. courtroom Tuesday by Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson.

OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline)- The Center for Environmental Health claims in a lawsuit that General Electric Co., Sears Roebuck and Co., Whirlpool Corp. are poisoning the public by selling water filtration systems that discharge arsenic into the water.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)--Oil companies have agreed to pay $422 million in clean up costs to settle lawsuits over their use of MTBE, a gasoline additive blamed for contaminating water supplies.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Legal Newsline)-Legislation that would require an expert opinion confirming professional negligence before a lawsuit could be filed is headed to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry's desk.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida jury has ordered the state to pay $11.5 million as compensation to 58,225 residents of Broward County after the state cut down all the citrus trees in their yards as part of a disease-prevention plan.

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - The poor reputation of West Virginia's court system can be reflected in statistics dealing with asbestos litigation, an economic think tank said Tuesday.

NEW YORK - Jim Copland of the Manhattan Institute says his organization certainly doesn't oppose new business concepts. After all, the think tank's mission statement includes fostering new ideas that promote economic growth.

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)--A San Mateo County judge has apologized and agreed to pay $100,000 to Silicon Valley billionaire Thomas Siebel for pursuing a claim she now admits had no legal merit.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline)- A team of Minnesota lawmakers have reached an agreement on a $38 million compensation package for victims of last year's Minneapolis bridge collapse.