Justices on Wednesday will hear an appeal by the estate of a man who died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A Duval County jury awarded $6.4 million in compensatory damages, but an appeals court overturned the decision.
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Arguments involve allegations that the tobacco industry conspired to conceal info about smoking. More broadly, companies want justices to reconsider the decision that spurred the torrent of litigation. Nearly 15 years after a Florida Supreme Court decision unleashed thousands of lawsuits against the tobacco industry, justices next week will consider a case that could make it harder to successfully sue cigarette makers.
The court will hear arguments in a case that focuses on a major issue involving allegations that the tobacco industry conspired to conceal information about smoking. But more broadly, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA are seeking to use the case to convince justices to reconsider the underlying 2006 decision that spurred the torrent of litigation.
Tobacco companies bid for Florida comeback in Supreme Court case tampabay.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tampabay.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Tobacco Cos. Say Improper Remarks Led To $10M Verdict
Law360 (May 25, 2021, 6:06 PM EDT) R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA Inc. urged a Florida appeals court Tuesday to reverse a $10 million judgment for the daughter of a smoker who died of lung cancer, arguing that her attorney made improper inflammatory remarks to the jury at the close of trial.
R.J. Reynolds attorney Val Leppert told a Fourth District Court of Appeal panel that Deborah Neff s attorney Scott Schlesinger made a number of remarks in his closing argument meant to inflame the jury, such as calling the tobacco companies immoral evildoers and their defense the last refuge of the scoundrel.
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