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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.

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West Palm Beach, FL—A Florida appellate court this week cut a pair of Engle awards against the country’s two biggest tobacco companies, after concluding the trial judge in each case erred in not reducing their compensatory damages.

Bob Shields delivers his closing argument on behalf of Mary Faricy-Pardue, who sued R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris for the death of her husband, John "Jack" Faricy, a long-time smoker who developed heart and respiratory disease. Jurors awarded more than $19 million in the case. 

Gainesville, FL—A Florida jury slapped R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris with more than $19 million in damages for the role it found the cigarette makers played in the death of a former University of Florida professor. Faricy-Pardue v. R.J. Reynolds, 2014-CA-2010.