The Anatomy of a Billion Dollar Case

A Billion Dollars. Just how much is that you might ask? A billion is a thousand million. To place it in a better perspective, a billion seconds ago, it was the year 1959 and humans first learned to write about 252 billion seconds ago. A billion minutes ago, Jesus Christ walked the planet and a billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age! There’s no doubt about it, a billion is a lot any way you look at it.

So what about a billion dollar lawsuit? What really happened? Was it necessary? Was it really worth it? The answer to the last two questions is a resounding yes! When you think about this mind boggling legal settlement here are a few things to consider.

The suit lasted almost six years. As far as we can tell there were over fifty (50) lawyers, staff members, consultants and others involved in the case. More than that think about what our clients went through! Six well qualified and highly trained pharmaceutical representatives who had dedicated the bulk of their professional careers to the development and distribution of drugs and medication armed to help people get well. Not only were they ordered to compromise their ethics, they were asked to perform acts they knew were illegal and downright criminal. All in the name of the almighty dollar! When these upstanding and moral citizens refused to do as ordered, they were promptly dismissed from their jobs, after years of loyal service to their industry and company.

To say this is unfair is an understatement. Thankfully, the federal and state whistle blower laws have provisions to protect those individuals brave enough to stand up and fight the greed and corruption of “big pharma.” Unfortunately, for our clients, it was too late to protect their jobs. However, for their acts of good moral conscious, the federal whistle blower statute did provide some vindication. Their decision to fight back has also paved the way for many other victims who might have decided to remain silent had they thought the law wasn’t on their side.As you can see, yes it was necessary and yes it was worth it. The world needs more courageous people like these six who will take a stand when truth hangs in the balance