T here are few more potent combinations than lawyers and journalists.
Together they can demonize, loot, and even bankrupt the largest industry. And do so based on the flimsiest evidence. But the tide is turning, as evidenced by the decision of U.S. District Court Judge Louis Bechtle to bar junk testimony in the fen-phen diet drug litigation. Three years ago, studies linked the appetite suppressant fenfluramine to heart valve damage. The Food and Drug Administration quickly ordered fenfluramine's withdrawal from the market.