Legal News

Smoker?s Lawsuit Results in $300M Verdict Against Tobacco Company

By (Click The Law)

In what is believed to be the largest single plaintiff award to dateagainst a tobacco company, a Florida jury awarded $300 million incompensatory and punitive damages to a former smoker who filed alawsuit against Philip Morris USA over her emphysema.

Cindy Naugle, 61, was awarded $56.6 million for past and futuremedical expenses, as well as pain and suffering. The jury from BrowardCounty Circuit Court also levied a $244 million punitive damage awardagainst the tobacco company.

Naugle, who said that she began smoking in 1968 to make herself lookolder, alleged that she would have never started smoking if she hadknown of the potential health effects. The smoker?s lawsuit claimedthat the tobacco companies knew smoking caused a variety of lungdiseases, but kept those side effects hidden.

As a result of smoking for about 25 years, Naugle claimed that shesuffers from emphysema, requires around-the-clock oxygen and isconfined to a wheelchair due to how easily she is winded. The juryfound her to be 10% responsible for her own condition, meaning thatwhile Philip Morris is responsible for all of the punitive damages; itis only responsible for 90% of the compensatory damages.

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Full post as published by Click the Law on November 23, 2009 (boomark / email).