Merck's Pain Persists

Ricci believes that Merck has lied to the American public and will ultimately pay a high price as a result. He compares the company's situation to that once faced by Ford, which lost huge amounts of business -- on top of a big courtroom trial -- for allegedly covering up fire hazards associated with its now-infamous Pinto. Ricci himself represented victims of the Pinto disaster.

Now, Ricci believes that Merck has similar problems on its hands. And he feels that the first Vioxx verdict has already set the tone for other cases going forward.

"This wasn't one case; it was the bellwether case for tens of thousands of people who died or suffered injury after taking Vioxx," he said. "I would say that this is the Pinto case of pharmaceuticals -- and it blew up in Merck's face."