Kennedy Accused of Concealing Agreement in Vaccine Lawsuit Settlement

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, and Angela Alsobrooks have questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s adherence to his ethics agreement in a vaccine lawsuit.

Kennedy was involved in a lawsuit against Merck over its HPV vaccine Gardasil, alleging it caused neurological and autoimmune injuries. The case was carried out by the law firm Wisner Baum.

In January, Merck agreed to pay $50 million to settle the lawsuit without admitting any guilt. Wisner Baum confirmed that neither Kennedy nor his son would receive any money from the settlement, contradicting what Kennedy had told Congress about how he would handle his divestment.

The Senators expressed skepticism in a letter to Kennedy, stating that if an implicit or explicit agreement existed between him and Wisner Baum regarding future payments or rewards, it would raise concerns about his conflicts of interest and the integrity of his decisions at HHS.