Court tosses $5M punitive award in first ‘Engle’ case 
Published: May 10, 2012
Tags: Benson & Hedges, cigarettes, Engle, Engle litigation, fraudulent concealment, Philip Morris, punitive damages, statute of repose, tobacco, tobacco litigation
A Florida appellate panel has overturned a $5 million award of punitive damages against Philip Morris in the first individual case to go to trial under the state’s court-imposed procedures for product liability suits against cigarette manufacturers.
Defendant’s negative net worth doesn’t bar punitive award
Published: April 25, 2012
Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma, product liability, punitive damages
Evidence that a defendant has a negative net worth doesn’t preclude an award of punitive damages against it, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in upholding a $4.5 million punitive award.
Employee who refused to commit illegal act may get punitives
Published: April 25, 2012
Tags: punitive damages, wrongful discharge
An employee who was terminated for refusing to perform an illegal act may be able to recover punitive damages, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled.
Florida jury awards $27M in ‘Engle’ tobacco case
By:
Kimberly Atkins
Published: April 9, 2012
Tags: punitive damages, tobacco, verdict, ‘Engle’ litigation
A Florida jury has awarded $27 million – including a $20 million punitive award – to a former smoker who lost a lung to cancer.
New Wis. damages measure favors employers
Published: March 16, 2012
Tags: compensatory damages, Discrimination, punitive damages, Wisconsin
A bill that would eliminate the ability of employees to sue for compensatory or punitive damages in Wisconsin state court is headed to Gov. Scott Walker, who is expected to sign the measure.
Smoker’s widow wins $25 million in punitives against Lorillard
Published: March 7, 2012
Tags: cigarettes, Florida, Lorillard, Lorillard Inc., punitive damages, tobacco, wrongful death
Lorillard Inc., the maker of Newport cigarettes, was ordered to pay a Florida widow $25 million in punitive damages by a Miami jury, the week after she was awarded $16 million in compensatory damages.
Smoker’s widow not entitled to $41M in punitives
Published: February 16, 2012
Tags: Engle litigation, product liability, punitive damages, tobacco litigation
An award of $40.8 million in punitive damages to the widow of a long-time cigarette smoker was constitutionally excessive, the Florida Court of Appeal has ruled.
Nursing home can’t limit remedies for negligence
Published: November 30, 2011
Tags: American Health Lawyers Association, arbitration, negligence, nursing home litigation, punitive damages, wrongful death
A nursing home sued for wrongful death could not enforce a limitation of remedies clause in its admissions contract that required arbitration and precluded punitive damages, the Florida Supreme Court has ruled in reversing judgment.
Human trafficking victim may seek punitive damages
Published: November 9, 2011
Tags: punitive damages, Trafficking Victims Protection Act
Federal law providing compensation for the victims of human trafficking authorizes the recovery of punitive damages by a woman who alleged that she was the victim of a sex-for-drugs conspiracy, the 9th Circuit has ruled in reversing judgment.
R.J. Reynolds must pay $28 million in smoker lawsuit
Published: September 6, 2011
Tags: cancer, negligence, product liability, punitive damages, R.J. Reynolds, strict liability, tobacco litigation
A tobacco company must pay $28 million to a woman who was diagnosed with cancer after smoking cigarettes for over 25 years, a U.S. District Court in Connecticut has ruled in denying a motion for a new trial.
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