Tobacco Class De-Certification Opens Floodgates

Staff Writer

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Although the Tobacco makers celebrated the Florida Supreme Court ruling which de-certified the Class on which a billion dollar plus punitive damages award was vacated, the underlying jury verdict remains. That means that between 300,000 and 700,000 Plaintiffs who are eligiible to file individual lawsuits against the Tobacco makers can rely on the prior guilty verdict of Deceptive Practices. The jury found that the defendants had intentionally hidden the dangers of smoking, so individual plaintiffs need not prove liability, just that they smoked and that their disease was caused by tobacco.