Tobacco.org

• ResponsibleParties / Smoking verdict opens doors in Missouri 

Michael Thompson, 53, finally quit in 1996. The former security director smoked his last cigarette in the car on the way to the operation where surgeons would peel back his throat, cut out his larynx, and take away his voice, health and livelihood.

He went home with a hole in his neck.

On Tuesday, for the first time, a Missouri jury decided that tobacco companies were responsible for a smoker's injuries. They awarded Thompson $1.6 million in damages and his wife $500,000 for loss of companionship.

"Tobacco companies have had the technology to make a safer cigarette," said Thompson's counsel, Indepen dence lawyer Ken McClain. "But they didn't use it."

McClain, who is among the pioneers in suing tobacco companies, said the victory Tuesday would open the doors in Missouri for more individuals seeking compensation for smoking-related injuries.

Jump to full article »