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Honolulu, Hawaii— Attorneys Wednesday debated who bore responsibility for the lung cancer of a woman who smoked for more than 60 years, as a Hawaii state court trial opened against Philip Morris. Ricapor-Hall v. Philip Morris, 1CCV-21-0000334.

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Miami, FL— Attorneys Thursday debated the timeline surrounding a long-time Florida smoker’s lung cancer, as trial over his death from the disease opened against Philip Morris.  Garcia v. Philip Morris, 2017-CA-005523. 

The right demonstratives can be powerful when cross-examining a witness, memorably reinforcing elements that you want to highlight during questioning. And in the latest episode of Trial Technique Spotlight, trial presentation expert Shane Read analyzes how Mark Lanier’s adept use of demonstratives on cross challenged a defense expert’s credibility and helped set up a headline-making verdict. 

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Fort Lauderdale, FL— Jurors Monday handed down a $132,000 verdict for the lung cancer death of a Florida woman who smoked for more than half a century, but they cleared one of the two tobacco company defendants at trial and apportioned the lion’s share of fault to the smoker herself. Neff v. R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris, 2007-CV-036745.

In a trial's battle of the experts, how a medical expert presents testimony can be crucial in building credibility and connecting with a jury. And in the latest episode of Medical Testimony Master Class, Burton Bentley, II, M.D.  highlights how a prominent medical expert’s explanation of his approach with patients was a powerful presentation technique in testimony that helped clear a California doctor in a $120 million medical negligence and battery trial.