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• Jury awards punitive damages to smoker's daughter 

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• The Bloom Is Off the Rose for Tobacco Claims 

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Daughter of lung cancer victim wins $13.8m from U.S. tobacco company Philip Morris  

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Tobacco Company Dodges $28 Billion Bullet, Slapped With $13 Million in Punitive Damages 

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Turia welcomes decision to prosecute tobacco firm 

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REZAEE: Smokers need to take responsibility for their own habitat 

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Altria Must Pay $13.8 Million in Smoker Lawsuit, Jury Says  

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• Jury awards punitive damages to smoker's daughter 

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After hearing weeks of improper arguments and evidence that violated state and federal law on punitive damages, the jury still managed to reject plaintiff's patently unreasonable request. Even so, we believe that any punitive damages award is unwarranted based on the facts in this case and that this award is unconstitutionally excessive.
Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president, speaking on behalf of Philip Morris, on the $13.8 M Bullock judgment.

Some of us looked at it as an opportunity to deter this behavior. I don't find $13.8 million to be much of a deterrent.
Matt Reed, 37, of Burbank one of the three dissenting Bullock jurors, who believed Philip Morris should pay a higher amount than the verdict.

Three pending cases involving application of Philip Morris v. Williams 

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Docket (Register of Actions): Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc.  

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• BULLOCK v. PHILIP MORRIS (PDF) 

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Rationale of Oregon Supreme Court decision in Williams should not apply in California 

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• Case Information: Bullock v. PM USA, Inc. 

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• Bullock v. Philip Morris - - California Court of Appeal reverses $28 million punitive damages award 

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• Calif. Supremes Wait for Smoke to Clear Over Punitive Damages ($$) 

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Appellate Court Case Information - Trial Court Detail: Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc.  

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Appellate Court Case Information - Party and Attorney Detail: Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc.  

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Appellate Court Case Information - Disposition Details: Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc. 

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Appellate Court Case Information - Briefing Summary: Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc. 

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Appellate Court Case Information - Docket Entries 

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Case Summary: Bullock et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc.  

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• BULLOCK v. PHILIP MORRIS Appeal (PDF) 

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In summary, we conclude that Philip Morris’s conduct was extremely reprehensible, that the approximately 33-to-1 ratio of punitive damages to compensatory damages is not constitutionally excessive in light of the extreme reprehensibility of the misconduct, including the vast “scale and profitability” of the course of misconduct, and that those considerations together with Philip Morris’s financial condition justify the $28 million punitive damages award
Majority opinion on the Bullock award by a 3-judge panel in California's Second Appellate District.

Appeals court upholds damages against Philip Morris 

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Betty Bullock 

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• Calif. Appeals Court Stretches Punitives Precedent, Upholds $28M Award Against Philip Morris 

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Philip Morris' persistent efforts to mislead the public about the health hazards of smoking despite its understanding that smoking was hazardous show that 'strong medicine is required to cure the defendant's disrespect for the law.
Justice H. Walter Croskey, writing for the Los Angeles' 2nd District Court of Appeal majority decision which upheld the $28M Bullock award.

WARD: Smoking out the arsonist cigar smoker 

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CAPLAN: Don't rights imply responsibility? 

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LETTER: SWEDA: Cigarette Companies Must Pay For Past Behavior 

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LETTER: SWEDA: Judge agreed with jury in tobacco company case 

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EDITORIAL: An Absurd Smoking Verdict 

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LETTER: Anger unacceptable 

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EDITORIAL: Huge smoking award reduced, but not enough 

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LETTER: SWEDA: Smoking-case Jury Justifiably Angry 

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EDITORIAL: Of reptiles and Philip Morris 

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LAWYERS OF THE YEAR: Tobacco Giant Smoked For $28 Billion 

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Philip Morris shares rise; Calif. smoker vows appeal 

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Philip Morris Plaintiff Takes Cut Verdict of $28 Mln (Update3) 

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UPDATE - Ex-smoker accepts reduced settlement, plans appeal 

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We've got 50 years of death, a body count in California alone of over 1.5 million peopl. . . Why the judge ... knocked it down to 1,000th of what the jury (awarded) was extremely disheartening to me.
Bullock attorney Michael Piuze.

• Smoker Accepts Reduced Tobacco Settlement 

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WINSTON: The good, bad and ugly of 2002 

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THE SKEPTIC: Will Fading US Legal Issues Boost BAT? 

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Philip Morris Up 2% After Bullock Damages Reduced 

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Philip Morris U.S.A. Will Pursue Prompt Appeal In Bullock Case 

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Philip Morris to Appeal Verdict Reduced to $28 Mln (Update5) 

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Philip Morris: Calif. award still too high 

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Cato Daily Dispatch for December 19, 2002: California Judge Slashes Tobacco Settlement 

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Philip Morris higher after damages cut 

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Lowered tobacco award seen as slight positive 

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• In L.A., Smoker Gets $28 Billion, Er, Million 

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CBS News | Tobacco Lawsuit Award Slashed 

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• Philip Morris to Appeal Verdict Reduced to $28 Mln (Update3) 

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$28 Bln Tobacco Award Slashed to $28 Mln 

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$28B Award Slashed in Smoking Suit 

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Attorneys for ex-smoker ask judge to uphold record $28 billion tobacco verdict 

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Judge Slashes Huge Award in Smoking Case 

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Los Angeles Judge Cuts Tobacco Award 

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• Philip Morris to Appeal Verdict Reduced to $28 Mln (Update1) 

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• Judge Slashes Huge Award in Smoking Case 

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During the course of the trial, the plaintiff called world-famous experts who established that it had been known since the 1950s that cigarette smoke caused lung cancer; that nicotine was a highly addictive drug; and that executives of Philip Morris were aware of these facts. . . Plaintiff also proved that with this knowledge, Philip Morris constantly lied to its customers. Their executives continued on a course claiming there was 'no certainty' that their product caused disease or was addictive. . . They made such claims to the public, to the Congress and to the media.... Philip Morris offered NO EVIDENCE refuting or denying any of these facts.
LA Superior Court Judge Warren L. Ettinger, in his Bullock award ruling.

[The Bullock verdict was] inconsistent with the facts and the law that should have governed this case.
William S. Ohlemeyer, Philip Morris vice president and associate general counsel.

Judge Reduces $28B Judgment to Ex-Smoker 

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Philip Morris tobacco award cut to $28m 

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• Philip Morris $28 Bln Verdict Cut to $28 Mln by Judge (Update4) 

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It shows how ridiculous the original jury verdict was.
David Adelman, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, which does investment banking work for Philip Morris, on Judge Ettinger's reduction of the Bullock award.

The jury found, with substantial evidentiary support, that Philip Morris's conduct was reprehensible and that a substantial award of punitive damages is necessary to have a deterrent effect upon the defendant.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Warren Ettinger.

• Philip Morris gets break in damage award 

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Judge Ettinger has fined Phillip Morris two days of its earnings. . . If two days' pay is the proper fine for a traffic violation, then two days' pay is not the proper fine for [Philip Morris'] role in killing so many Americans over a 50-year period.
Attorney Michael Piuze, on the reduction of the $28 Billion Bullock award to $28 Million.

Attorneys ask LA judge to uphold record $28 billion tobacco verdict 

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• Philip Morris to Get Ruling on $28 Bln Award Soon, Judge Says 

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Twenty eight billion is unprecedented. This conduct is unprecedented.
Michael Piuze, at Tuesday's court hearing on Philip Morris' bid to slash Bullock award.

• Philip Morris Asks Judge to Throw Out $28 Bln Award (Update2) 

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Philip Morris Gears Up to Fight $ 28 Billion Judgment ($$) 

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A whiff of blame... [Source: Daily Mail - London] 

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RYAN: Smoke and funhouse mirrors 

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LETTER: Ridiculous award 

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LETTERS: Sure, greedy lawyers make case for big awards 

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LETTER: SWEDA: Big tobacco should pay for misconduct 

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EDITORIAL: Get rich quick: Eat, smoke, gamble 

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LETTER: CUMMINGS: Hold tobacco firms accountable, too 

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GONZALEZ: Living my worst nightmare 

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MCCOLLAM: Damaging Justice 

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LETTER: Sanity goes up in smoke 

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Rooney: I'm Going To Sue 

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• ‘Donahue’ for Oct. 9 (Guests: Jodie Bullock, Michael Piuze, Sherman Joyce) 

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BULLOCK: I looked your name up earlier on the Web site, and it appears that you work for Philip Morris and the other big businesses like Exxon. And you really aren’t out there looking after the consumer, are you?
Jodi Bullock, daughter of Betty, to Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association. The fiery Donohue transcript is online.

POWELL: Smokers' self-abuse deserves no rewards 

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• Different messages found in $28 billion jury award 

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LETTER: Take the blame 

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PURCELL: Giving new meaning to "selling your body" 

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LETTER: Those crazy courts 

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WEYRICH: Jury Decisions Can Be Hazardous To America's Free Enterprise System 

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• Is It Smoke or Fire? Lawyers split on impact of $28 billion tobacco verdict 

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LETTER: Making up for it? 

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EDITORIAL: Boosting the case for reform  

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EDITORIAL: $28 billion verdict is absurd 

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Philip Morris Companies 'Who Wants to be a Billionaire' 

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EDITORIAL:Punitive damages award is outrageous 

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LETTER 

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LETTERS: Smoking: Responses to 'Cigarette smokers shouldn't profit from their irresponsibility,' @issue, Oct. 10  

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Los Angeles Jury Awards Smoker $28 Billion; Philip Morris to Challenge Record Verdict 

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LETTERS: Smoker's $28-Billion Award Raises Ire 

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Calculating the Terms Of a Cigarette Award 

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HAZRA: How to smoke and get fabulously rich  

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LETTERS 

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What we said: Excerpts from our editorials 

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LETTER: No justification for $28 billion award 

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DEPAOLIS: What's right and wrong about $28 billion tobacco verdict 

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