Tallahassee Appellate Court Upholds $15 Million Award for Smoker’s Survivors
The 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee has upheld a $15 million wrongful death award to the family of an Edgewater woman whose cigarette smoking led to her lung cancer death in 1994. The Lorillard Tobacco Company had appealed a Duval County jury’s verdict that had found the tobacco company was 65 percent responsible for the woman’s death.
The Tallahassee tobacco litigation attorneys at Farah & Farah have found that the lawsuit alleged the woman had died at age 63 as a result of her being addicted to Lorillard’s Old Gold brand of cigarettes since she was a teenager.
The attorney who represents the woman’s family told The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Our clients are one step closer to receiving justice and Lorillard is one step closer to being held accountable for its actions.”
Lorillard, which identifies itself as the oldest continuously operating tobacco company in America on its website, has not commented on the appellate court’s ruling thus far.
The family’s attorney told the News-Journal that Lorillard had not appealed the lower court’s finding based on the amount of damages, nor had it challenged the jury’s finding that the tobacco company should be punished for its actions. Rather, they had asked the 1st District Court to overturn the verdict based on evidentiary and procedural grounds.
Millions of people have been sickened, or have died, as a result of using deceptively marketed tobacco products. Have you or a loved one been a victim of Big Tobacco’s lies? Call the attorneys at Farah & Farah to see if you have a case and to find out the latest status of tobacco litigation in Florida. We can be reached at (800) 533-3555 or contact us online to find out what your legal options might be.
