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Lucchesi said Monday that he felt funny testifying against Merck after having a positive relationship with its scientists for years ; the company even helped pay for training of some of his graduate students . In Texas , punitive damages are capped at twice the amount of economic damages — lost pay — and up to $ 750,000 on top of non-economic damages , which are comprised of mental anguish and loss of companionship.The case drew national attention from pharmaceutical companies , lawyers , consumers , stock analysts and arbitragers as a signal of what lies ahead for Merck , which has vowed to fight the more than 4,200 state and federal Vioxx-related lawsuits pending across the country . It 's rare that one of the lead investigators would be a strong family friend of the victim 's AND the defendant 's . JUNEAU , Alaska A small-town state trooper recounted to a jury Thursday how he came to believe that Rachelle Waterman , a close friend of his own teenage daughters , arranged the murder of her mother.The trooper , Robert Claus , testified that he had long known of " friction " between the 16-year-old and her mother over her relationship with an older man . The novel was a crucial part of this broad cultural obsession with the unacceptable , providing elaborate meditations on what it meant to be normal , as well as on what it meant to transgress the bounds of decency . The company 's loss is also expected to prompt more lawsuits , on top of the 4,200 already pending . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had suggested such changes in October 2001 in light of a 2000 study that showed Vioxx users suffered five times as many heart attacks as those who took the older painkiller naproxen , sold under the brand name Aleve.In Texas , punitive damages are capped at twice the amount of economic damages - - such as lost wages - - and up to $ 750,000 on top of non-economic damages , such as mental anguish and loss of companionship . Based on its own studies , which showed that Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke after 18 months ' use , Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market last September.To hear Merck tell it , the voluntary withdrawal of Vioxx is a demonstration of its regard for its customers .