Fla. Jury: Philip Morris Must Pay Ex-Smoker $300M

Tobacco company found negligent in state's largest verdict
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 19, 2009 9:21 PM CST
Fla. Jury: Philip Morris Must Pay Ex-Smoker $300M
Philip Morris' Marlboro cigarettes on display at a market in Palo Alto, Calif.   (AP Photo)

A South Florida jury today ordered Philip Morris to pay $300 million to a former smoker, agreeing that the tobacco company's negligence was the cause of her emphysema. The award for Cindy Naugle, 61, is the largest to date among thousands of lawsuits filed in the state against tobacco companies. The award amounts to $56 million in compensatory and $244 million in punitive damages against the Virginia-based company, which says it will seek further review of the verdict. (More Cindy Naugle stories.)

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