Wacky Tobacco Precedent Set in Florida: Former Smoker Awarded $300 Million for Damages and Treatment for Emphysema
From the self-inflicted damage files: a former smoker in Florida has won a landmark case against cigarette maker Philip Morris. The 62-year-old prior puffer, who started smoking at age 20 to make herself look older, is now wheelchair-ridden due to her contraction of the lung disease emphysema. A Florida court has awarded her $300, partly to cover medical expenses, but largely ($244 million) in punitive damages. Wait a minute, did someone force her to smoke?
Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, said it the will challenge the verdict because of "numerous erroneous rulings by the trial judge," BBC News reports. The company's spokesman said that the punitive damages are "grossly excessive and a clear violation... of the law."
The payout is the result of a major class-action suit in 2006 that was thrown out of court, the story reports. About 8,000 individual cases were filed subsequently. This is thought to be the biggest payout so far.
