LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by emphysema.
The Broward Circuit Court jury assessed $56.6 million in past and future medical expenses against the company, part of Altria Group Inc, as well as $244 million in punitive damages.
The case is one of 8,000 lawsuits filed against tobacco companies by Florida smokers and their families.
Attorneys for Naugle, the sister of a former Fort Lauderdale mayor, said it's the largest Florida tobacco verdict to date.
"The jury saw her condition," Todd Falzone, who also represented Naugle, said in a statement. "We think that they felt it. She needed to rest for five minutes to catch her breath after making the 7 step walk to the witness stand."
Naugle started smoking in 1968 when she was 20 because she thought they "made her look older." After several attempts to quit, she stopped smoking in 1993 with the aid of a nicotine patch.
She requires 24-hour oxygen and must travel in a wheelchair because walking leaves her exhausted, her attorneys said.
I am not sure what to feel for this woman considering that her life has been restricted to a wheelchair. Now she was the one who put the cigarette to her lips and keep puffing on those death sticks. When did reality kick in 10, 20, or 3o years later? Don't get me wrong, the company should not have put nicotine in the cigarette to keep that level of addiction to the product. Although since they created that monster and now they have to pay the piper. I have a problem with a person getting hooked on a product and then wants someone to pay for their mistake... She created this issue in 1968 when she wanted to look older, now years later she wants someone to pay for her trying to look cute. I am sorry but my compassion level is low for one simple reason, she created her own monster. If second hand smoke was the cause tax the company and make them pay!
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