Four Senate Democrats are pressing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to explain his financial ties to Wisner Baum, the Scientology-linked law firm spearheading lawsuits claiming Merck’s Gardasil HPV vaccine causes injury, as Joseph Choi for The Hill reports. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) sent Kennedy 21 questions demanding answers by August 11, after Merck agreed in June to pay $50 million to settle more than 200 Gardasil suits.
A Loophole, Not a Divestment?
Kennedy once stood to collect a 10 percent referral fee on cases he sent to Wisner Baum. Before his confirmation, he transferred that stake to his son Conor, now an associate at the firm — a maneuver Warren and her colleagues wrote appears to reinforce “a lucrative and dangerous playbook.” Wisner Baum managing partner Brent Wisner insists the Kennedys will “at no time” collect settlement fees.
The senators also want details on HHS’s communications with Merck and any changes to the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Courts have already dismissed hundreds of similar Gardasil claims for lack of evidence, even as the well-studied vaccine remains a cornerstone of cervical cancer prevention.
Related on the SLP
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Related on the SLP
Church of Scientology and RFK, Jr.: Reuters investigation highlights HHS secretary’s problematic ties to Scientologist tort law firm Wisner Baum
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