Personal Injury Law

Plaintiffs Prevail in Florida Cigarette Case

By Edward Bills

A Florida jury awarded $20 million in total damages to the family of a woman who died of cancer in 1995 after smoking cigarettes for more than 40 years. Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Liggett Group share the blame and the payments in the lawsuit. Jurors assigned 35 percent of the responsibility to the woman, Margot Putney for her death; 15 percent to Philip Morris; 30 percent to Reynolds; and 20 percent to Liggett. The verdict is one of a series of losses for the tobacco industry in Florida since the desertification of a 2006 class-action case against the tobacco industry.

Full post as published by Bodily Injury Blog on April 29, 2010 (boomark / email).