Speechless!!!

[black_cat51]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28389273
Surely in the 80s and 90s the risks were already known?

What could the judge possibly have been thinking about hte amount?

[Sqad]

black_cat........I agree........i don't understand that finding one little bit.

[lady-janine]

backdoor way of putting them out of business?

[askyourgran]

It's ridiculous, the choice was his whether to smoke or not, the risks have been known for years. It could have been any other tobacco company that has been hit for this, although Camel are notably strong cigarettes which he should have known doubled the risk. Stupidity.

[wolf63]

My mum died in 1996 of smoking related lung problems - emphysema. My died died in 2004 of a heart attack due to smoking.

Who do I sue?

[Svejk]

absolute madness. the ambulance chasers, here, will be rubbing their hands together.

[wolf63]

Svejk - chasing ambulances sounds tiring.

My mother, even when she knew she had days left to life, was pretty philosophical about her situation. Nobody forced her to smoke.

[Gromit]

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.

[black_cat51]

he was mid 30's

[Svejk]

I've ruined my life with slow horses and fast women, where do I claim.

[ummmm]

It will be overturned...

[mikey4444]

Ludicrous amount of money...daft Judge.

[Gromit]

Changed my mind.

Longtime smoker who died aged 36, cannot really be that long time. If he was born 1960, the the dangers of smoking were known then. I was at school in the sixties and we were told then. If may have been different in the US than in the UK, butI doubt it.

[EDDIE51]

It is in Florida where a 'class action' against tobacco companies has been already won. This is just one of many claims that have been awarded , the only difference is the amount. The claimant here was only 36 when he died of cancer caused by smoking. The award reflects the fact that he could have lived another 40 years or more if he had not smoked. Most claimants were in their 60 or 70s when they died so the pay-out was a lot less.