Jump to full article: Kansas City (MO) Star, 2005-02-14
Author: LINDA MAN The Kansas City Star
Intro: Since the mid-1990s, plaintiffs have won about 35 percent of tobacco cases, Sweda said. And there are millions of potential plaintiffs against cigarette makers, he said.
Sweda said the outcome of a lawsuit depends on how a jury interprets the evidence. He said tobacco companies tend to win verdicts if the jury concentrates on the smoker's behavior.
“But if there is a serious consideration of the industry's role in the context of the life of the plaintiff, then those are the circumstances where we see plaintiff verdicts.”
Despite the recent plaintiff victories, tobacco companies do not seem worried.
“The headlines about the litigation don't give you a complete picture about what goes on,” said Bill Ohlemeyer, an attorney for the Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA. “The majority of those cases are on appeal or have been reversed.”
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