Philip Morris Loses Lawsuit – Ordered to Pay $300 Million to Emphysema Sufferer (Cindy Naugle)
Philip Morris USA is the largest tobacco company in the US. The company recently lost a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman with emphysema. A jury in a Broward County, Florida court found in favor of the plaintiff, Lucinda Naugle, and awarded her compensatory damages of $56 million and punitive damages of $244 million. The lawsuit was made possible by a Florida Supreme Court decision in 2006 that de-certified a class action suit, allowing individuals to file their own suits against the company. In that decision, the supreme court specifically allowed plaintiffs to introduce factual determinations from the original class action case as established fact in their own cases. Ms. Naugle’s award is the largest stemming from the Supreme Court decision. Ms. Naugle, now 61 years old, stated that she started smoking at the age of 20, and gave it up at the age of 45. The jury did find Ms. Naugle 10% at fault, meaning that Philip Morris must pay only 90% of the compensatory damages. Philip Morris plans to seek further review of the verdict, saying that the verdict was affected by erroneous rulings by the judge in the case. Find out more about this large Florida verdict against a tobacco company at Philip Morris Must Pay Smoker Almost $300 Million, Jury Says. If you have questions about business law please contact Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A. for legal counsel.
