He was a longtime smoker who died in 1996.
I do not know how old he was when he died, but if had been smoking for 50 years, the dangers were not publicised in the 1940s when he took up smoking and become addicted. If the company did not tell of the dangers until 40 years after he had begun to smoke, then the verdict would be correct.
It may be argued that as soon as he knew the dangers he should have stopped.
It could equally be argued that the damaged had already been done by then.