Fort Lauderdale, FL—Jurors awarded nearly $8.8 million in compensatory damages to a Florida man for the smoking-related death of his wife, and found R.J. Reynolds potentially liable for punitive damages, after concluding the tobacco company was responsible for the woman's nicotine addiction and respiratory disease.  Konzelman v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CV-019620.

Lloyd Bell and David Ladner deliver closings at trial against Agnes Scott College over claims Amanda Hartley was falsely arrested and imprisoned on groundless sexual assault charges. Judge Johnny Panos declared a mistrial in the case Thursday after reports a juror conducted outside research during the trial.  

Decatur, GA—Reports of juror misconduct Thursday scuttled a $21-million trial during deliberations over the claim that an Atlanta-area women's college was responsible for the false arrest and imprisonment of a woman on baseless sexual assault charges.  Hartley v. Agnes Scott College, 11A36461-4.

 Stock photo. 

Missouri juries have awarded $127 million in state talc-cancer cases this year, with more potentially to come, while New Jersey, a hotbed of talc-cancer litigation itself, recently threw out two similar cases. Why the disparity? According to a legal expert interviewed in a recent Forbes article, it may be fundamental differences in expert witness admissibility.

Fort Lauderdale, FL—A two-pack-a-day smoker who ultimately died of respiratory disease kept hidden "back-up" ashtrays in the house and stashed full packs of cigarettes during her quit attempts before being diagnosed with the disease, her widower testified this week during trial against the cigarette maker accused of fraudulently peddling her Pall Malls for three decades.  Konzelman v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CV-019620.

Nancy La Vista and Jamie Gursky deliver their opening statements at trial over Dr. Shaul Dadi's claims that electroconvulsive therapy overseen by psychiatrist Dr. Praturi Sharma damaged Dadi's brain.

West Palm Beach, FL—A Florida cardiologist suffered devastating brain damage from botched electroshock therapy, the cardiologist’s lawyer claimed as a $27 million trial began Thursday against the psychiatrist who oversaw the treatments. Dadi v. Sharma, 2011CA16027.