Top Adviser to Anthony Fauci Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy to Hide COVID-19 Research Records
David Morens, MD, a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, MD at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 18, 2026 to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses and to defraud the United States. The charge stems from a scheme to evade Freedom of Information […]
Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Pay $5.5 Billion to Resolve Talcum Powder Cancer Litigation
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on July 27, 2026 that it had reached a proposed settlement to resolve approximately 76,000 talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits that had accumulated in federal and state courts over more than a decade of litigation. The company committed $5.5 billion toward the resolution, with its first payment not to exceed […]
Sanofi Sues Pfizer and Moderna Over COVID-19 mRNA Shot Technology
More than six years after the introduction of COVID-19 shots, litigation over the technology behind the shots continues to expand. On July 15, 2026, Sanofi SA of France announced that it had filed two patent infringement lawsuits in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against Pfizer, Inc., BioNTech SE, and […]
Merck Settles Gardasil Vaccine Injury Lawsuit for $50 Million
Merck & Co has agreed to pay $50 million to settle more than 200 lawsuits brought against the drug giant by patients suffering from autoimmune disorders after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. According Merck, this settlement resolves all but one of the pending lawsuits filed against its HPV vaccine.1 Gardasil was fast-tracked to licensure by the […]
Former Aide to Anthony Fauci Indicted for Concealing COVID-19 Records
On Apr. 16, 2026, a federal grand jury in Maryland indicted David M. Morens on charges that he conspired to conceal government records from the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Morens, 78, served as senior adviser to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 2006 to 2022, working directly […]
West Virginia Vaccine Mandate Upheld by U.S. Fourth Circuit
On Apr. 8, 2026, a federal appeals court found that West Virginia’s compulsory school vaccination law does not violate the First Amendment, despite the state not offering a religious exemption. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed a preliminary injunction that had temporarily allowed a virtual school student […]