Florida jury awards $23 billion punitive damages against RJ Reynolds (to widow of chainsmoker)

Reuters ^ | July 19, 2014 | Barbara Liston

[Innovative]

A Florida jury has awarded the widow of a chain smoker who died of lung cancer punitive damages of more than $23 billion in her lawsuit against the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the nation's second-biggest cigarette maker.

The judgment, returned on Friday night, was the largest in Florida history in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by a single plaintiff, according to Ryan Julison, a spokesman for the woman's lawyer, Chris Chestnut.

After a four-week trial and 11 hours of jury deliberations, the jury returned a verdict granting the widow $7.3 million and the couple's son $9.6 million in compensatory damages.

The same jury deliberated for another seven hours before deciding to award Robinson the additional sum of $23.6 billion in punitive damages, according to the verdict forms.

[Cboldt]

It can be appealed, and there is a substantial probability that at least the punitive damages award will be reversed. That's what happened in the Liebeck v. McDonald's case.