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• Philip Morris to Appeal $1.9 Million Award to Widower of Two-Pack-a-Day Smoker 

A Broward Circuit Court jury awarded $1.93 million Thursday to the husband of a woman who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years. The Florida jury deliberated for more than eight hours before handing down the verdict for Leon Barbanell, 92, who sued on behalf of his late wife, Shirley. The Marlboro smoker started smoking when she was 16 and died from lung cancer in 1996 at 73.

"No amount of money would bring back his wife," said the widower's attorney, Jonathan Gdanski of the Law Offices of Sheldon J. Schlesinger in Fort Lauderdale. "He's suffered tremendously as a result of her passing, and he's entitled to be compensated for her premature death."

Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services associate general counsel, issued a statement on behalf of Marlboro maker Philip Morris saying the verdict was "the result of a severely prejudicial trial plan" and the company will appeal.

Gdanski filed suit against Philip Morris, alleging the tobacco company negligently concealed facts about the dangers of smoking.

"Philip Morris denied she had lung cancer, denied she died from it and denied she was addicted to it," Gdanski said in a telephone interview

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