FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla — (Mealey’s) The daughter of a deceased smoker testified in a wrongful death action in state court Aug. 19 that her father “was always smoking” and “was always trying to quit” ( Heather Irimi, et... Read More
FORT MYERS, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on Sept. 16 awarded $20 million in punitive damages to a woman who alleged that her chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) was caused... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury on July 13 awarded $1.5 million to the widower of a woman who died of lung cancer after years of smoking ( John McCoy, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al. , No. 2008-CV... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Closing statements by attorneys for three tobacco companies wrapped up on Aug. 27 in the Florida 17th Judicial Circuit Court for Broward County in a suit alleging that a longtime smoker’s death in March... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.— (Mealey’s) The daughter of a deceased smoker testified in a wrongful death action in Florida’s 17th Judicial Court for Broward County Florida on Aug. 20 that her father was unable to quit smoking because he was... Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - (Mealey's) The Food and Drug Administration's proposed graphic warnings for cigarette packs violate the First Amendment bar against compelled speech, a District of Columbia federal judge ruled Feb. 29 in granting summary judgment... Read More
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A federal judge issued a stay of proceedings in 415 Engle progeny cases Feb. 25 after the plaintiffs agreed to a $100 million aggregate settlement with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc. and Lorillard... Read More
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida federal jury awarded $5 million in compensatory damages May 15 to a woman who said three companies’ cigarettes caused chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the jury assigned 50 percent of... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla — (Mealey’s) A Florida woman who alleges that her laryngeal and lung cancer was caused by years of smoking cigarettes testified Aug. 22 that she made numerous attempts to quit but was unsuccessful until her laryngectomy... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court judge accepted a partial jury verdict in a suit against four tobacco companies Feb. 24 amid calls for a mistrial from the defendants after the jury reported that it could not reach agreement... Read More
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida federal jury added $2.5 million in punitive damages Friday to $2.5 million in compensatory damages it had awarded May 15 to a woman who said three companies’ cigarettes caused chronic obstructive... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Closing arguments got under way Aug. 26 in Florida’s 17th Judicial Circuit Court for Broward County in a suit alleging that a longtime smoker’s March 2013 death was caused by smoking cigarettes... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Plaintiff and defense attorneys on Aug. 11 laid out the evidence they expect to present to a jury in the Broward County, Fla., 17th Circuit Court in a suit alleging that a 62-year-old woman’s laryngeal... Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. — (Mealey’s) The U.S. Supreme Court on June 8 declined to review a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals rejecting the claims of more than 1,000 state residents against the tobacco industry ( Ronald Accord,... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) The “lies and deceit” of the tobacco industry caused longtime smoker Edward Caprio to become addicted to cigarettes that led to his lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD... Read More