Kennedy for years has earned referral fees from Wisner Baum, a Los Angeles personal injury law firm that is currently suing Merck, alleging the pharmaceutical giant failed to properly warn the public about risks from its vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil ….
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In a congressional hearing on [January 29, 2025], Sen. Elizabeth Warren … repeatedly asked Kennedy if he would agree to forgo payments stemming from litigation ….
Kennedy has made about $2.5 million since 2022 in his work with the law firm …. Kennedy, himself a longtime personal injury lawyer, could earn even more if the litigation against Merck prevails given that he is opting to keep his stake in the pending court case, according to ethics documents filed before his confirmation hearings.
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“I am entitled to receive 10% of fees awarded in contingency fee cases referred to the firm,” Kennedy stated in his ethics pledge. …
During the hearing, Warren pointed to several changes Kennedy could make that might enrich him in connection with such lawsuits if he is approved as health secretary. That includes appointing anti-vaccine advocates to vaccine advisory panels, removing vaccines from recommendations or changing the way the vaccine injury compensation program works.
