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Carol Ernst and Mark Lanier

Carol Ernst and her attorney Mark Lanier hug as they face the microphones after winning her case against Vioxx maker Merck Co. Friday, Aug. 19, 2005, in Angleton, Texas. A Texas jury found pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. liable Friday for the death of Ernst's husband who took the once-popular painkiller Vioxx, awarding her $253.4 million in damages.

Carol Ernst and her attorney Mark Lanier hug as they face the microphones after winning her case against Vioxx maker Merck Co. Friday, Aug. 19, 2005, in Angleton, Texas. A Texas jury found pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. liable Friday for the death of Ernst's husband who took the once-popular painkiller Vioxx, awarding her $253.4 million in damages.

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