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Calif Crt Reaffirms Decision To Cut Tobacco Damage Award 

A California state appeals court reaffirmed its decision to slash in half a $100 million damage award against Philip Morris Inc. by a smoker who later died of lung cancer.

A three-member panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal on Friday issued its ruling, which also let stand $5.5 million in compensatory damages to Richard Boeken.

Boeken, a two-pack-a-day smoker since he was 13, died in 2002. He was 57. During his civil trial against Philip Morris, Boeken testified that he was the victim of a tobacco industry campaign that portrayed smoking as "cool" but concealed its dangers.

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