Tobacco.org

$145B jury award tossed in Florida smoking case  

In fact, former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, who in 1995 led the state's effort to sue the tobacco companies, said there is a silver lining for Floridians in the court's decision.

He said there was some concern that if the record jury award were allowed to stand, it could have jeopardized the financial health of the cigarette manufacturers, meaning they may have had to default on their annual payments to the state.

"I for one am glad that a cigarette company loses every case they get involved in," said Butterworth, who is now the dean of the St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami. But Butterworth said he believed from the beginning that the trial court went too far in allowing a jury to award $145 billion in punitive damages against the tobacco companies in 2000. He said the law prohibits an award from being so excessive that it could bankrupt a company.

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