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Stuart, FL— Attorneys Wednesday argued over the root cause of a decades-long Florida smoker’s fatal cancer, as trial opened against R.J. Reynolds. Delancy v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CA-000067.  

With widespread knowledge of smoking’s dangers today, plaintiffs’ attorneys in tobacco cases often face a high hurdle when arguing why a smoker from decades ago may not have understood smoking’s risks, or quit in time to avoid disease. That hurdle can be even be even higher when the smoker at the heart of the case started as an adult. But in a recent trial against R.J. Reynolds, Eric Rosen’s memorable rebuttal on closings overcame those issues to help key an 8-figure win for the family of a woman who began smoking in her 30s. 

Explaining the full impact of a traumatic brain injury can be difficult when the effects of that injury aren’t immediately obvious from the jury box. But in a recent trial over the skull fracture a Georgia teenager suffered in a “bubble soccer” game, Brad Thomas’s closing vividly detailed the teen’s lifelong loss, helping seal a seven-figure verdict. 

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Updated 10/8/19:  

Atlanta, GA-- Fulton County State Court Judge Jane Morrison declared a mistrial Tuesday afternoon in Georgia’s first case to go to trial over alleged links between Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based Baby Powder and a woman’s death from ovarian cancer. Brower v. Johnson & Johnson, 16EV005534.

Arguing damages stemming solely from non-economic loss can be difficult:  A  jury has no hard set of numbers to use as a starting point in calculating an award, while surviving plaintiffs' ability to cope following an incident can be used as an argument to mitigate non-economic loss. However, in closings of a 2019 damages-only trial over the death of a Florida mother hours after childbirth, Todd Michaels secured an eight-figure win by upending a defense contention on non-economic loss.