her case is one of the class-act suit against the company in 2011 where the jury awarded $146billion to the class-act but that verdict was shredded at the appeal court. I believe this one will also be overturned... the amount is just too outrageous. afterall the company did not force him to smoke

browncool: I suspect a fowl play in the judgment, common sense would tell the Jury including the chief judge that the verdict is very ridiculous. Remove such an amount from the world richest man's account, he will definitely feel the pinch. The aforementioned amount is just too outrageous

Pinch for wia,na slap him go feel,23b dollars,him go even faint

talk2smat: A Florida jury has awarded the widow of a chain-smoker who died of lung cancer punitive damages of more than $23bn in her case against the RJ Reynolds Tobacco, the nation's second-largest cigarette maker. The judgment, returned on Friday night in a Pensacola court, was the largest in Florida history in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by an individual, according to the woman's legal team. Cynthia Robinson, of Pensacola, sued the cigarette maker, whose brands include Camel, in 2008 over the death of her husband, Michael Johnson. Johnson smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day for more 20 years and died of lung cancer in 1996 aged 36

"He couldn't quit. He was smoking the day he died," lawyer Chris Chestnut told the Reuters news agency on Saturday. After four weeks of hearings and 15 hours of jury deliberations, the jury said that the tobacco company was negligent in informing Robinson's husband, that smoking causes lung cancer and that nicotine is highly addictive.Compensatory damages of $7.3 million were awarded to the widow and the couple's child, and $9.6 million to Johnson's son from a previous relationship. The jury also awarded Robinson $23.6bn in punitive damages, according to the verdict forms. This wasn't a runaway jury, it was a courageous one-Chris Chestnut, plaintiff's lawyer

'Runaway verdict'

Jeffery Raborn, the vice-president and assistant general counsel for RJ Reynolds, said in a statement quoted by the New York Times that the company planned to challenge "this runaway verdict". "This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented," he said. Such industry appeals are often successful. A $28bn ruling against the tobacco firm Philip Morris in 2002 was reduced on appeal to $28m. Robinson's lawsuit originally was part of a large class-action litigation known as the "Engle case" filed in 1994 against tobacco companies.

A jury in that case returned a verdict in 2000 in favour of the plaintiffs, awarding $145bn in punitive damages, which at the time was the largest such judgment in US history. That award, however, was overruled in 2006 by the Florida supreme court, saying that the group was too disparate and each smoker smoked for different reasons. However, the court said individual cases could be filed. The Florida high court also let stand the jury's findings that cigarettes are defective, dangerous and cause disease, and that tobacco firms were negligent, meaning those issues did not have to be re-examined in future cases.

Credit: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/07/us-widow-wins-236bn-tobacco-payout-201472004712110239.html

. Chei, the lawyer(s) that represented her done hammer too, no b only her.

2sExy1: I have been following the industry since last year and there is a current BOOM in the US economy, one favorably designed to thwart and dwarf the liquor industry as well as the tobacco industry. the industry was indexed at over $1.6 billion, closely rivaling the viagra industry which is one of the largest, and has been earmarked to over take in a few years,possibly before the end of this year or early next year.

At the threshold of the events, the top dogs in the tobacco and liquor industry were trying all means to inhibit the growth of Vapor, marijuana, cannabis and hemp industry but you can't stop something heavier than you, you know? -- they knew that their days of dominance was numbered.

Today, the reverse is the case as there is a full blow take over coming in years ahead; I read that a 38 year old man left his silicon valley job to take up a management job for cannabis growers by helping to create climate that would favour the growth of the plant.

Bro, hemp, cannabis or marijuana is not as bad as we have been made to believe, no thanks to our ignorant and backward generation in these part of the world.

As a matter of fact, Cannabis Sativa is one of the most miraculous plant God blessed man with; there has been thesis and hypotesis that it can cure cancer, epiletic seizures, even the chronic one, its oil is a far better substitute for treating cancer in place of chemotherapy, which had badly damaged lives and skins of victims.

If not for our moronic leaders, hemp should be legalise for medical use in Nigeria.

You are campaigning in favour of marijuana, e-smokes are a totally different ball game.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/electronic-cigarette.htm

DaimlerBen:
You are campaigning in favour of marijuana, e-smokes are a totally different ball game.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/electronic-cigarette.htm

I know but they are both about to change the landscape, bro.

2sExy1: I know but they are both about to change the landscape, bro.

I think I speak for everyone when I say, marijuana is preferable.

She isn't getting anything close to that, because the company would repeal the case. I would be surprised, if she ends up been awarded up to 1mil dollars. The judge knew what he was doing, when he gave he's final verditct...That was part of the plan, to have the widow get nothing, because he knew the company would repeal the case, and would end up winning .

The company will never pay such amount as the company will definitely challenge the judgement. The guy smoked for more than 20 years and died at the age of 36. So he started smoking at 16 years old or less. That is serious. Under age things

damn it...this is a preposterous verdict. I thing the Ogoni people in River state will need a jury like that in their case with shell, who knows, the jury will ask shell to pay $324trn to the Ogoni people.

Chai!!! 23 billion,see money,Sometimes I 1da if dx guyz actually stress theirself abt working/the just wait 2 make a lawsuit and it doz work 4 them. 9ja lawyers whr una d!!!abeg i need a lawyer a firm just got on mi nerves.

patostation:


Abi o! My brother, it makes no sense at all. To use my hard earned money to buy a substance that contain poisons like nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar and start puffing away! A substance that does not benefit the body in any way - no vitamin, no minerals, no nothing. Despite these clear cases, many are still immersed in smoke today. I don't pity them

the funny thing about smoking, is that you puff out the smoke! So what's the gain in it? I must say addiction is really strong- it makes the addict a helpless slave.

I don't understand why people are criticizing the size of the judgement. Tobacco companies have made a trillion dollar business out of enslaving people to their addictive cancer sticks. The whole point of punitive damages is to force the offending party to change its behavior by hitting it in the pocket. Anything smaller than this would make no difference to these companies since they make far more from their immoral business.

You don't see people defending cocaine dealers when they get punished, but these big companies (who sell a product that's much more addictive) are somehow different? Drug dealers are even better since most of them avoid selling to kids while tobacco companies have been conclusively shown to deliberately target children and teens (e.g. the Joe Camel cartoon adverts). Since governments have refused to do the right thing and ban tobacco products outright, it is up to the victims to end the trade by making it too expensive for these companies and wiping out their illicit profits.

I hope she enjoys her money. RIP to her husband and the millions of other victims.

This woman can now afford to buy at least all the premiership clubs in England