Ray Persons tells jurors Robert Mathis did not show symptoms of lung cancer until after the November 21, 1996 cutoff date for Engle class membership during openings of trial against R.J. Reynolds for Mathis's death. 

Miami, FL—A Florida man who died of lung cancer after smoking 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day for nearly 50 years developed the disease after the bar date for filing a class action claim against the nation's tobacco companies,  an attorney defending R.J. Reynolds said Friday in the trial's opening statements. Mathis v. R.J. Reynolds, 2007-CA-47118. 

Daniel Smith delivers his opening statement at trial against Waste Services of Florida, whose 15-ton truck struck bicyclist, Thomas Truong, severely injuring him. 

Orlando, FL—A host of driver errors caused a 15-ton truck to hit a bicyclist, severely injuring him and putting the future of one of his legs in jeopardy, lawyers for the cyclist claimed as trial opened Tuesday against the truck driver and waste company that employed him. Truong v. Waste Services of Florida, 2013-CA-00353.

Jonathan Gdanski delivers his closing argument for his client, Joseph Varner, who claims tobacco industry deception caused his wife, Virginia's, nicotine addiction and fatal cancer. Jurors awarded Varner $1.5 million Tuesday. 

Fort Lauderdale, FL—A Florida jury Tuesday found nicotine addiction and Philip Morris cigarettes caused a 40-year smoker's fatal cancer and awarded her widower $1.5 million in compensatory damages. But, it rejected any punitive payout and cleared R.J. Reynolds of liability. Varner v. R.J. Reynolds. 

"No matter what was the cause of [Harper's] respiratory arrest, that was treated, he recovered, and he went steadily downhill after that. And that was a result of the infection," infectious disease specialist Dr. Daniel Musher says Monday in the trial of two doctors who treated Kenneth Harper before his death.

Atlanta—An infectious disease expert told jurors Monday that a hospital patient likely died from infection that overwhelmed his suppressed immune system, and not medical error, as trial entered its second week against two doctors who treated him. Harper v. Vick, et al., 08EV005552.