Defendants expected to request reversal
Jump to full article: New Orleans (LA) Times Picayune, 2004-07-01
Author: Susan Finch / Staff writer
Intro: Clearing the way for appeals, a retired judge Wednesday upheld a jury verdict that the nation's four biggest tobacco companies and their public relations arm must pay $591 million for a 10-year program to help more than 500,000 Louisianians quit smoking.
The action makes the decision final. In upholding the verdict, retired Judge Richard Ganucheau also said the tobacco companies must place the amount of the judgment, plus interest, in a court trust until the judgment is paid. Both sides agree that the interest now stands at $300 million or more.
The defendants are expected to ask Ganucheau to reverse his decision or grant a new trial of the eight-year-old Louisiana smokers' class-action lawsuit. . . .
If Ganucheau refuses the defendants' requests, the appeals process will be triggered. Plaintiffs' attorney Ruses Herman hope the appeals can be fast-tracked under a law he said applies to litigants in danger of dying before their cases are concluded. . . .
To appeal the verdict, the defendants will have to post a bond set by Ganucheau.
There was disagreement Wednesday about the size of the bond.
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