Wife of Cancer Victim Sues Tobacco Company, Gets $25 Billion

[EmmaPeel]

Yesterday, a Florida jury ordered tobacco company RJ Reynolds to pay the sum, in addition to more than $17 million in compensation to the estate of Michael Johnson Sr, after 15 hours of deliberations. It’s the largest verdict for a plaintiff in state history and sends a strong message to Big Tobacco that could open the floodgates for further claims.


I hate these kind of outrageous awards. What people don't realize is that ultimately - much like taxes on cigs - the costs get passed on to average Americans.

This is one of the reasons healthcare costs have skyrocketed too. The whole "let's hit the man" always boomerangs down to the regular folks.

Anyway, I think this is a blow to personal responsibility. Jurors can be such idiots sometimes.

[JustAJ]

100% agreed. The line is always "it's the company's fault for making a product that is so addictive." If that were legally sound standing, then why haven't we got alcoholics lined up to sue the liquor industry? Or the survivors of people who have died driving fast cars, well, fast. Becuse the product liability laws are *supposed* to protect companies, and it does for everyone else except tobacco companies. Cause **** them I guess is the reason.

[TheSlammer]

I agree as well. As an ex smoker, if I got lung cancer, why would I sue the company? They didn't force me to smoke and they label that it can cause cancer. That's like suing a life vest company because someone you knew couldn't swim drowned, but didn't wear a life vest. It makes NO sense. Why do people feel like they are entitled to everything? At only 23, I work for everything I have. I dont ask nor beg for stuff. Can't stand these kinds of people.

[IAM Rand]

I think I am gonna smoke a cigarette with a cup of McDonald's coffee in between my legs while driving and texting my prostitute. If I crash and die because the hot coffee spilling in my crotch causes me to drop my cigarette igniting the gas spilling all over the car and my wife finds out she has AIDS, will she have a lawsuit and if so who does she sue? I see billions here and I am not talking the served sign on McDonald's.

[steve354]

How about this for size..... If the last link works IT WILL SHOCK YOU. SO LOOK AT OWN RISK.


Plain packaging around the world[edit]
Australia[edit]
Under the legislation, companies have had to sell their cigarettes in a logo-free, drab dark brown packaging from 1 December 2012.[21] Government research found that olive green was the least attractive colour, particularly for young people.[22] After concerns were expressed over the naming of the colour by the Australian Olive Association, the name was changed to drab dark brown.[23] With the plain packaging and tax increases[24] the Australian government aims to bring down smoking rates from 16.6 per cent in 2007 to less than 10 per cent by 2018.[25] Statistics published in 2014 showed that the amount of excise and customs duty on cigarettes fell by 3.4 per cent in Australia in 2013 compared to 2012 when plain packaging was introduced.[26][27] Some commentators referred to data coming from the tobacco industry and claimed that the tobacco sales volume had increased by 59 million sticks (individual cigarettes or their roll-your-own equivalents) during the same period.[28][29] According to Philip Morris International, 2013 saw a 0.3 per cent increase in tobacco sales compared to 2012.[30][31] Other commentators however contradicted these claims based on data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in March 2014.[32][33][34] A study conducted by KPMG for three major cigarette manufacturers had found that illegal trade of drastically cheaper cigarettes had significantly increased.[35]

Tobacco industry response[edit]
In August 2010, Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco formed the Alliance of Australian Retailers, which commenced a multimillion dollar campaign against plain cigarette packaging. The campaign focused on grassroots advocacy (astroturfing), ostensibly on behalf of small business owners.[36] When the funding source of the campaign was made public, large retailers such as Coles and Woolworths quickly withdrew support for the campaign.[37][38] The tobacco companies subsequently hired a public relations firm to oversee the campaign.[39]

In May 2011, British American Tobacco launched a media campaign suggesting that illicit trade and crime syndicates would benefit from plain packaging.[40] BATA CEO David Crow threatened to lower cigarette prices in order to compete, which he claimed could result in higher smoking amongst young people.[41] Mr Crow later commented he would tell his own children not to smoke cigarettes, because they are unhealthy.[42]

The BATA campaign is largely based on a report from Deloitte. Several of the claims contained in the report related to border protection, and have since been publicly refuted by customs officials, and the report itself indicated that it had relied extensively on unaudited figures supplied by the tobacco industry itself.[43][44]

In June 2011, Imperial Tobacco Australia launched a secondary media campaign, deriding plain packaging legislation as part of a Nanny state.[45]

In June 2011, Philip Morris International announced it was using the provisions in a Hong Kong/Australia treaty to demand compensation for Australia's plain packaging anti-smoking legislation. As a US-based company, Philip Morris could not sue under the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The company rearranged its assets to become a Hong Kong investor in order to use the investor-state dispute settlement provisions in the Australia-Hong Kong Bilateral Investment treaty (BIT).[19][46] In response, Health Minister Nicola Roxon stated that she believed the government was "on very strong ground" legally, and that the government was willing to defend the measures.[47] Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network said that big tobacco and other global corporations are lobbying hard to include the right of foreign investors to sue governments in the current negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).[19]

In November 2011, British American Tobacco announced that it would challenge the laws in the High Court as soon as they gained royal assent.[48] Immediately following the passage of legislation on 21 November 2011, Philip Morris announced it had served a notice of arbitration under Australia's Bilateral Investment Treaty with Hong Kong, seeking the suspension on the plain packaging laws and compensation for the loss of trademarks.[5] Allens Arthur Robinson represented Philip Morris.[49] In August 2012, the High Court ruled in favour of the Australian government.[50] The continuance of trade and investment proceedings on the issue has been described as an affront to the rule of law in Australia.[51]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_cigarette_packaging

https://www.google.com/search?q=australian+tobacco+laws&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS584US589&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_9TPU96TG5SyyATB24LwDQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAw&biw=1440&bih=837

[just joe]

I read that the award will be modified because it is excessive and out of proportion.

[EmmaPeel]

I think I am gonna smoke a cigarette with a cup of McDonald's coffee in between my legs while driving and texting my prostitute. If I crash and die because the hot coffee spilling in my crotch causes me to drop my cigarette igniting the gas spilling all over the car and my wife finds out she has AIDS, will she have a lawsuit and if so who does she sue? I see billions here and I am not talking the served sign on McDonald's.

LMFAO. That's what you get for having so much f**king common sense.

Speaking of which, why don't a bunch of us just start a university to impart to the ever growing number of airheads. Call it the University of Common Sense. Make billions.

[Aerohead]

As an ex smoker - there's PLENTY of products and services to help you quit smoking IF YOU WANT TO. I've been smoke free for over 5 years now. I tried several different methods and Chantix worked for me - wasn't easy by any means, either. If I can go from smoking 2 packs a day for roughly 12 years, than anyone can. Seems like most smokers just don't feel like quitting - the consequences are on them. Also, I knew the dangers when I started smoking - you'd have to be a completely brain dead idiot to not know them. I did it anyway. I have ZERO recourse (in my mind) if anything/when anything happens.


ETA: I've saved over $23,790 so far at the current price ($6/pack) of 2 packs a day.