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West Palm Beach, FL—A Florida biotech company settled its malpractice claim against legal giant Greenberg Traurig, one day after the trial’s judge issued directed verdicts limiting the law firm’s defenses but slashing the company’s original $700 million-plus damage claim. Dyadic International v. Greenberg Traurig, 2009CA010680. 

Christopher Chestnut delivers closings in Robinson v. R.J. Reynolds. A Florida state appellate court ordered a new trial in the case, after jurors handed down a 23.6 billion verdict in 2014. 

Tallahassee, FL—A Florida state appellate court ordered a new trial last week in the tobacco cancer case that yielded a record-setting $23.6 billion verdict against R.J. Reynolds.

Steven Hammer delivers his closing argument at trial against R.J. Reynolds for the company's role in the heart and respiratory disease Blanche Fox claims her husband, Malcom, suffered after decades of smoking. 

Fort Lauderdale, FL--A Florida state court jury handed down a $6 million verdict against R.J. Reynolds for the role jurors found the tobacco giant played in the illness a decorated World War II veteran developed after smoking cigarettes for more than a half century. Fox v. R.J. Reynolds, 2008-CV-026348.

 Marianne Howanitz delivers her closing argument at trial over the deaths of Deborah and Eliezer Maldonado, Jr.

Ocala, FL—Jurors Friday awarded more than $3.9 million to the family of a Florida mother and son killed in a late-night, 2012 truck crash, but found a non-party drunk driver largely at fault, likely reducing the award. Maldonado v. Wayne T. Fellows, et al., 2013CA001308.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the punitive damage award imposed against the defendants. 

St. Petersburg, FL—Jurors awarded $5.8 million in damages to the family of a 2-pack-a-day smoker who died of lung cancer, after concluding the nation's largest tobacco companies concealed the dangers of the cigarettes they found led to her death.   Brown v. Philip Morris, et al., 15-002451-CI.