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Santa Fe, NM— Jurors Thursday cleared R.J. Reynolds and a pair of retail chains of responsibility for the death of a New Mexico man who had smoked for decades. Youngers (Archuleta) v. R.J. Reynolds, et al., D-101-CV-2020-01693. 

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Decatur, GA— A trucking company’s insurer agreed to a $10 million settlement for a deadly 2016 crash involving a big rig, as jurors deliberated in trial over the case earlier this month, attorneys for one of the plaintiffs told CVN. Freeman, et al. v. ACE American Insurance Co., et al., 17A62825.

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Clearwater, FL— Attorneys Wednesday debated the circumstances surrounding the death of a Florida woman days after she underwent a hysterectomy, as trial opened against the hospital that treated her. Silveira v. Bayfront HMA Medical Center, 17-001586-CI. 

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Marietta, GA— Attorneys Tuesday debated what caused a golf car rollover crash that seriously injured a Georgia child, as trial opened against the vehicle’s maker, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America. Hall v. Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America, 20-A-1696.

The right deposition questions during discovery can serve as powerful tools to ultimately impeach a witness once a case gets to trial. But in a recent discussion among veteran attorneys on pre-trial best practices, Butler | Kahn’s Jeb Butler said lawyers should pay just as much attention to how a depo question's response will work in a courtroom as they pay to the substance of the response itself.