This article states that the jury for the recent case of Merck vs. Carol Ernst just awarded Carol $253.4M in damages for the wrongful death of her husband.
How does a jury come up with that number? Shouldn’t there be some kind of formula that’s used for this sort of thing? Obviously I just can’t relate to losing a family member due to this sort of thing, but it just seems a little over the top for this amount. The jury has got to realize that Merck will come up with this money and it will play out in increased costs for everyone won’t it?
The really interesting thing to me, and I more than likely could be wrong, but notice her legal team around her. They all seem really happy to be getting a cut of that $253.4M for their legal fees. I don’t know what those are, but I’m guessing it’s probably over 10%, not bad pocketing $25M for one case is it?