Philip Morris ordered to pay ex-smoker $300m

by Gill Montia

Story link: Philip Morris ordered to pay ex-smoker $300m

A Florida court has ordered cigarette manufacturer, Philip Morris, to pay $300 million to an ex-smoker.

The damages have been won by Cindy Naugle, who suffers from smoking-related emphysema, and is now wheelchair bound.

Philip Morris has indicated that it intends to mount an appeal; the group’s spokesman told the BBC that the punitive damages are “grossly excessive and a clear violation… of the law”.

However, the ruling could lead to a surge in similar claims as the case relates to a major class-action law suit in the Florida Supreme Court, which was thrown out in 2006.

According to reports, around 8,000 individual cases have subsequently been filed.

The judge awarded Ms Naugle $56.6 million for medical expenses and $244 million in punitive damages.