Articles by John Curran

Vermont Supreme Court Upholds Fraternal Club Sex Bias Ruling

The Vermont Supreme Court has denied an appeal by an Elks lodge found to have discriminated against women, saying it failed to show any “reversible errors” in a 2005 trial. In an entry order received by the parties last week, …

States Urged to Lower Drinking Age to Reduce ‘Underground’ Drinking

Advocates acknowledge their argument is a hard sell politically but say it would be effective at curbing binge drinking More than two decades after the country established a uniform drinking age of 21, a nascent movement is afoot to allow …

States Urged to Lower Drinking Age to Reduce ‘Underground’ Drinking

More than two decades after the country established a uniform drinking age of 21, a nascent movement is afoot to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to legally buy alcohol under some circumstances. Proponents say the higher age hasn’t kept young people …

States Urged to Lower Drinking Age to Reduce ‘Underground’ Drinking

More than two decades after the country established a uniform drinking age of 21, a nascent movement is afoot to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to legally buy alcohol under some circumstances. Proponents say the higher age hasn’t kept young people …

Heavy Rains Flood Central Vermont

Torrential rains pelted central Vermont on Wednesday, triggering flash flooding that washed out roads and inundated the city of Barre, where water ran up to 6 feet deep for a time. Between 3 and 4 inches fell in the area …

Merck Loses Bid to Nix Punitive Damages; Deliberations Today

A judge last Friday rejected Merck & Co.’s request to abort a hearing aimed at establishing whether the company must pay punitive damages to a former Vioxx user already awarded $4.5 million for a heart attack he blamed on the …

Merck Trial Closing Arguments Today

In a courtroom in Atlantic City, N.J., Merck & Co. rested its defense last week in a closely watched trial aimed at determining whether the company’s now-withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx caused the heart attacks of two New Jersey men. Closing …

‘Shirt Sleeve Miners:’ Trial Lawyers Panning for Gold at Vioxx Trial

In N.J. Bellwether Case, Trial Lawyers Closely Monitor Evidence, Tactics and Jurors In the back rows of Courtroom 3A in Atlantic City, N.J., the well-dressed men and women sit quietly, watching jurors’ faces, scribbling notes on white legal pads, listening …