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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - The wheels of justice will spin a little faster at the next Vioxx trial. A pair of chess clocks will see to that.
Determined to keep it short, lawyers for Merck & Co. and two men suing the painkiller's manufacturer have agreed to time limits on testimony and will use tabletop clocks — activated manually, each time one side or the other puts a witness on the stand — to keep track.
When the trial begins March 6, lawyers for plaintiffs Thomas Cona and John McDarby will have 40 hours to present their cases, not including opening statements and closing arguments. Lawyers for Merck will get 35.
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