Florida jury orders Philip Morris to pay $300M to former smoker.
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Created: 20 November 2009
The AP (11/19) reported, “South Florida jury on Thursday ordered Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million to a former smoker, agreeing that the tobacco company’s negligence was the cause of her emphysema. The award for Cindy Naugle, 61, is the largest to date among thousands of lawsuits filed in the state against tobacco companies.” Richard A. Daynard, chairman of the Tobacco Products Liability Project, said, “Large verdicts encourage other large verdicts,” adding, “This gives jurors permission to fully compensate plaintiffs for all the harm they suffered and to express their moral outrage at the industry’s behavior.” Bloomberg News (11/20, Pettersson) reports, “Altria, based in Richmond, Virginia, said it will seek ‘further review’ of the verdict.” Reuters (11/20, Keating) also covered the story.