Florida Smoker Awarded $300 Million From Philip Morris

A Florida woman who is confined to a wheelchair due to emphysema from years of smoking has been awarded $300 million in damages from cigarette maker Philip Morris USA.

Cindy Naugle, 61, sued the tobacco giant seeking compensation for her injuries and medical bills as well as financial damages to punish Philip Morris, a division of Altria Group Inc., for negligently marketing dangerous products. Jurors in Broward Circuit Court returned a verdict of $56.6 million for Naugle’s past and future medical expenses then tacked on $244 million in punitive damages, according to a Reuters news report.

Naugle’s suit was one of thousands of similar cases filed following a landmark 2006 Florida Supreme Court ruling, which tossed out a class-action case (Engle v. RJ Reynolds) filed against tobacco companies. That case had resulted in a jury award of $145 billion, which was the largest trial verdict in U.S. history.

The Florida court granted some plaintiffs, including Naugle, the right to file individual suits after the massive class of about 700,000 smokers had been decertified. The jury’s award to Naugle is the largest of the individual smokers’ cases that have been tried so far, attorneys said.

A Philip Morris spokesman said the company is considering an appeal of the jury award, which it deemed “grossly excessive and a clear violation of constitutional and state law.”

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