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Fort Lauderdale, FL— A Florida state court jury Thursday handed down a $1.6 million-plus verdict for the respiratory disease and cancer it found a Florida woman suffered because of Philip Morris-brand cigarettes. However, the verdict apportioned the lion’s share of blame to the smoker herself, likely reducing the post-verdict award. Zingaro v. Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CV-036438.

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Tampa, FL— R.J. Reynolds’s marketing of cigarettes the company knew were dangerous drove a Florida woman to smoke for 50 years and led to her fatal respiratory disease, an attorney for the woman’s family said as trial opened Wednesday against the company. Durrance-Jones v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CA-009036. 

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Fort Lauderdale, FL— After a week-long break in proceedings, closings are expected early next week at trial against the country's two largest cigarette makers for the respiratory disease and cancer a Florida woman says she developed after years of smoking. Zingaro v. Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CV-036438.

Video: Karen Koehler delivers her opening statement in the role of a duck boat captain during trial over a boat crash that left five people dead and dozens injured. 

Delivering a compelling opening can be a challenge in product liability trials, where equipment specifications and similarly dry material are often central to a case. However, in openings at trial over a fatal duck boat crash, Karen Koehler artfully channeled a duck boat captain to detail her case and set the foundation for a nine-figure verdict.