Florida jury slaps RJ Reynolds with $23.6 bn in damages

[riky]

Florida jury slaps RJ Reynolds with $23.6 bn in damages

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/florida-jury-slaps-rj-reynolds-23-6-bn-213710159.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7dJb.cee0GxyvGnzoEFqkQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/4d0191693e9839531eb8c3f2d1c29401488e58e0.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="A Florida state jury has ordered the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to pay $23.6 billion in punitive damages to the wife of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer, her attorneys said" align="left" title="A Florida state jury has ordered the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to pay $23.6 billion in punitive damages to the wife of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer, her attorneys said" border="0" /></a>A Florida jury has ordered RJ Reynolds tobacco to pay $23.6 billion to the wife of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer in a verdict seen as one of the largest for a single plaintiff in state history. In addition to the punitive damages, Friday's verdict also awarded more than $16 million in compensatory damages to the estate of Michael Johnson Sr. During the four-week trial, lawyers for Johnson's widow Cynthia Robinson argued that the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was negligent in informing consumers of the dangers of consuming tobacco and thus led to Johnson contracting lung cancer from smoking cigarettes. They said Johnson had become &quot;addicted&quot; to cigarettes and failed multiple attempts to quit smoking.</p><br clear="all"/>

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