WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - (Mealey's) A Florida jury on Aug. 19 handed a smoker's widow $270,000 in punitive damages, two weeks after awarding her a net $2.2 million compensatory award; the amount of punitive damages is far less even than that suggested... Read More
VIERA, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A state court judge sitting in the Brevard County, Fla., 18th Judicial Circuit Court entered a mistrial on Sept. 26 after two weeks of trial in a wrongful death action brought by the widow of a longtime smoker because... Read More
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way in Florida state court on June 23 with opening statements in a suit alleging that a woman’s death from lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases was caused by her addiction... Read More
ATLANTA - (Mealey's) Florida federal courts presiding over Engle progeny cases must do more work to identify precisely what the Phase I trial findings of the Engle jury mean before deciding the extent to which they have res judicata effect in establishing... Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. — (Mealey’s) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Sept. 15 that it has issued orders halting the further sale and distribution of four currently marketed R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. cigarette products, including its... Read More
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
HARTFORD, Conn. - (Mealey's) A Connecticut jury capped a month-long trial May 27 by awarding a cancer-afflicted smoker $8 million against the cigarette maker she blamed for her illness; the verdict for the plaintiff is reportedly the first in New... Read More
MIAMI — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury awarded $776,000 June 18 to the widow of a man who died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after more than 50 years of smoking ( Joyce Hardin, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.,... Read More
MIAMI — (Mealey’s) A jury in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court returned a $21 million verdict Nov. 18 for the widow of a man who died of lung cancer after smoking for 45 years ( Diane Schleider, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co... 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
PENSACOLA, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury returned a defense verdict May 21 in a suit alleging that the death of a former smoker from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular... Read More