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.

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. 

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Miami, FL—A $5+ million claim against Philip Morris for a former smoker’s lung cancer ended in mistrial Monday, just days after openings, because a prospective juror shared information during voir dire about a prior $20 million award in a similar case. Martin v. Philip Morris, et al., 07-34267-CA.  

Kevin Boyce tells jurors Totsie Fleming knew or should have known she had smoking-related respiratory disease on or before May 5, 1990, a statutory cutoff date for her family's action against cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds. Jurors Wednesday found the suit time barred. 

Sebring, FL—R.J. Reynolds Wednesday prevailed in a suit by the family of a Florida woman who died from respiratory disease after smoking for 60 years, as jurors declared the claim time barred. Durrance v. R.J. Reynolds, 11-26-GCS. 

Last year, CVN cameras captured 40 Engle progeny trials, with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in tobacco litigation involving some of the nation’s best attorneys. The high-stakes cases are among thousands that stem from a Florida class action suit that the state’s high 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.

CVN’s Engle Plaintiff’s Attorney of 2016 distinguished himself with an undefeated record and more than $80 million in damages awarded on the year.