In 2016, CVN covered 40 Engle progeny trials, involving some of the top defense attorneys in the country. The cases stem from a  class action against the nation’s tobacco companies that the Florida Supreme Court ultimately decertified, allowing individual plaintiffs to rely on the original class action’s jury findings and recover damages if a plaintiff proves that the smoker at the heart of their case suffered from nicotine addiction that led to a smoking-related disease.

This year’s Engle Defense Attorney honoree distinguished herself by going undefeated in two critical trials involving her client.

Stephanie Parker delivers closing arguments for R.J. Reynolds in Janice Rounds' suit claiming the company's concealment of smoking's dangers led to her husband's nicotine addiction and cancer. Jurors Tuesday found in favor of R.J. Reynolds.

Daytona Beach, FL—Jurors Tuesday found tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds not liable for the lung cancer that killed a Florida hospital worker who smoked for more than 35 years. Rounds v. R.J. Reynolds, 2013-32607-CICI.