Plaintiffs' attorneys firing the first courtroom salvos in sweeping litigation over popular products face a high hurdle to success: convincing jurors a product they may have used all of their lives can cause potentially catastrophic harm. That's the hurdle The Smith Law Firm's Allen Smith overcame in landing a $55 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson for the ovarian cancer Smith says J&J's signature-brand baby powder caused his client, Gloria Ristesund.
Topics: Negligence, Products Liability, Ristesund v. Johnson & Johnson, Missouri, Talc
Marietta, GA--Life expectancy played a central role in last week's trial on damages for the catastrophic brain injury Ehsan Khan, 57, suffered in a 2013 tractor-trailer crash. Khan's attorneys, including Fried Rogers Goldberg's Joe Fried, sought nearly $25 million in damages, including more than $3.6 million for future medical expenses, based on Khan's life expectancy. However, attorneys for trucking firm Moore Freight Service, Inc. and driver John Teal argued damages should be reduced because the crash had significantly shortened Khan's life.
Topics: Court Video, Negligence, Georgia, Traumatic Brain Injury, Trucking, Khan v. Moore Freight Service Inc.
Miami, FL—Jurors sided with the widow of a longtime Florida smoker who died of lung cancer, awarding her $5 million in compensatory damages and rejecting claims by the tobacco company that the lawsuit was time-barred. Mathis v. R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CA-47118.
Topics: Negligence, Products Liability, tobacco, Engle Progeny, Florida, Mathis v. R.J. Reynolds
Miami, FL—A former insurance executive who underwent open-heart surgery after smoking for 30 years told jurors cigarettes controlled his life so completely it was all he thought about by the time he finally quit, as trial against cigarette-maker R.J. Reynolds got underway this week. Wilkins v. R.J. Reynolds, 15-2007-CA-20.15-2007-CA-20.
Topics: Negligence, Products Liability, tobacco, Engle Progeny, Florida, Wilkins v. R.J. Reynolds
