Whatever the outcome of the first New Jersey Vioxx trial, lawyers on both sides are less likely to be surprised than they were over the $253 million verdict in Texas against Merck & Co. That's because Judge Carol Higbee is letting jurors question witnesses. For the lawyers in the case, juror questions are sources of early feedback. And since the trial is being covered live by Court TV Extra, it's becoming an educational laboratory for lawyers on both sides of mass tort cases nationwide.
Details here from the New Jersey Law Journal via Law.com.