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It's been a busy start to the summer for courtrooms across the country, with CVN  covering high-stakes trials in cases ranging from auto-defect, TBI claims to massive opioid lawsuits.

Here are just a few of the key moments over the last couple of weeks alone.

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West Palm Beach, FL— Jurors Monday handed down a $2 million punitive verdict against R.J. Reynolds for the role they found the tobacco giant played in a long-time smoker’s respiratory disease, wrapping a $2.54 million total award in the in-person trial.  Spurlock v. R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CA-023631.

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West Palm Beach, FL— Jurors Thursday awarded more than $540,000 to the family of a Florida man whose respiratory disease they found was caused by smoking R.J. Reynolds cigarettes, and they concluded punitive damages were potentially warranted against the tobacco giant for its part in causing the disease. Spurlock v. R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CA-023631.

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Atlanta, GA— The Georgia Court of Appeals last week upheld the denial of a motion to compel arbitration in a medical malpractice claim, in a decision that clarifies the reach of healthcare arbitration clauses.