Jury Instructions Conference Today -- Closing Arguments Tomorrow(?), Before Judge Chesler In New Jersey Federal District Court

After nearly a full month on trial, every day, the plaintiff in the case has survived (at least in part) Merck's motions to end the matter, without any jury deliberations -- and be exonerated.

Right about now, in Newark's federal District courthouse, without the jury present, the very able Judge Chesler is hearing argument about which set of instructions the jury should be given, when the jury is ordered to return. [I will note, quite encouragingly, that a strikingly-similar sounding surnamed woman, who (it says) worked at Merck, Covance and J&J in HR leadership, was just this morning named to the top HR role in a Wyndam-affilate company in Parsippany, New Jersey. Excellent.]

. . . .CHARGE CONFERENCE CONTINUED to Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. Ordered jury to return on Friday, May 29, 2015 at 9:30 a.m for Trial. . . .

Of course, it seems that both sides still have closing argument(s) to offer -- and then the jury will be given the instructions, by Judge Chesler, and then begin deliberations. [For a complete record, here is the Plaintiff's Brief For Judgment As A Matter Of Law -- a 17 page PDF.] We will keep you posted, but much of that may not happen until next week, as we earlier said. Onward, and this one is for all moms, everywhere. [Image at right derived (in part) from a wiki-commons stock image on WordPress.com.]