When the verdict was read out in Angleton, Texas, Mrs Ernst wept and her lawyer, Mark Lanier shouted "Amen".

BBC: NEWS | Business | US giant punished for faulty drug

But Mark Lanier, the lawyer for plaintiff Carol Ernst, was able to convince the jury that her husband may have died of a heart attack.

FORBES: Merck Loses First Vioxx Trial

But Mark Lanier, the lawyer for plaintiff Carol Ernst, was able to convince the jury that her husband Robert, a triathlete, died of a heart attack.

FORBES