Tobacco.org

• Jury to decide whether tobacco caused death 

As a teenager, Leila Schwartz began smoking cigarettes. Her brand of choice: the unfiltered, tar and nicotine-laden Chesterfield.

In 2002, the 72-year-old Boca Raton resident died.

A Palm Beach County jury will decide whether it was a result of lung cancer or heart disease and whether cigarette manufacturer Liggett is to blame.

In a trial that began Tuesday, Schwartz's husband of more than half a century, Leonard, is seeking to hold Liggett responsible, saying the company continued to produce Chesterfields despite knowing since about 1950 that they caused lung cancer. . . .

During the two-week trial, jurors will hear from doctors and experts. The plaintiffs will present testimony indicating studies published in the mid 1900s -- the same time Schwartz took up smoking -- linked cigarettes to lung cancer.

Jump to full article »