View source for Naugle v. Philip Morris USA, Inc.

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox court case
|name               = ''Naugle v. Philip Morris''
|court              = Broward County Circuit Court, Florida
|date decided       = 19/11/2009
|judge              = Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld
|appealed to        = 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach
}}
'''Naugle v. Philip Morris'''  was a landmark 2009 court case in which a jury awarded the plaintiff Lucinda Naugle $300 million.<ref name="NY1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/business/21smoke.html?_r=0|title=Ex-Smoker Wins Against Philip Morris|author=DUFF WILSON|date=November 20, 2009 |work=The New York Times|accessdate= June 1, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="BB1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=armyvTxmM.A0|title=Philip Morris Must Pay Smoker Almost $300 Million (Update1)|author=Edvard Pettersson|date=November 20, 2009|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> The award included $56.6 million in compensatory damages for medical expenses and $244 million in punitive damages.<ref name="NY1" /><ref name="BB1" /> At the time, the verdict was the largest award given to an individual suing a tobacco company, and was featured on [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[60 Minutes]], and ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="NY1" /><ref name="ABC">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-21/tobacco-giant-hit-with-record-300m-fine/1150988|title=Tobacco giant hit with record $300m fine |date=November 21, 2009|publisher=ABC News|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref><ref name="NB1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Holy-Smoke-SoFla-Woman-Hauls-in-300-Million-in-Tobacco-Verdict-70612042.html|title=Holy Smoke! SoFla Woman Hauls in $300 Million Verdict|author= Brian Hamacher |date=November 20, 2009 |publisher=NBC Miami|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> In 2012, the verdict amount for punitive damages was reduced to $36.8 million.<ref name="SS1">{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-12-12/news/fl-naugle-tobacco-verdict-20121212_1_lucinda-naugle-addictive-nature-and-health-million-verdict|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216094017/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-12-12/news/fl-naugle-tobacco-verdict-20121212_1_lucinda-naugle-addictive-nature-and-health-million-verdict|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2012|title=Fort Lauderdale woman's big money verdict against tobacco company tossed out|author=Jon Burstein|date=December 12, 2012 |work=Sun Sentinel|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref>
==Background==
In 1968, Lucinda Naugle, an office manager from [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]] and sister of former Ft. Lauderdale mayor [[Jim Naugle]], began smoking at the age of 20.<ref name="IC1">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/smoker-in-florida-awarded-300m-damages-against-philip-morris-1825057.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/smoker-in-florida-awarded-300m-damages-against-philip-morris-1825057.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Smoker in Florida awarded $300m damages against Philip Morris|author=Rupert Cornwell|date=November 21, 2009|work=The Independent|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> She quit when she was 45.<ref name="IC1" /> As a result of smoking, Naugle suffered from severe [[emphysema]].<ref name="BB1" />
At trial, Naugle claimed [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]] directly concealed the fact that [[cigarettes]] were harmful to health and addictive.<ref name="MLN">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlnlaw.com/jury-awards-300-million-to-former-smoker.html |title=Jury Awards $300 Million to Former Smoker|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> Philip Morris was also sued on the basis that the cigarettes manufactured and sold by the company were unreasonably dangerous.<ref name="ML1">{{cite web|url=http://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=FL&d=42035|title=Cindy Naugle v. Philip Morris|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> The case was an Engle-progeny case, resulting from the Engle v. Liggett class action suit in 2006, where the [[Florida Supreme Court]] upheld a jury’s finding that cigarettes were dangerous to health and addictive.<ref name="FB">{{cite journal|url=http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNJournal01.nsf/d59e2cf27607c0cf85256ad1005ba53f/a0b86fb25b4e9cca85257aa6004b58d1!OpenDocument |title=Engle v. Liggett: Has Big Tobacco Finally Met Its Match?|author=J. B. Harris|journal=Florida Bar Journal|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref><ref name="JF1">{{cite web |url=http://www.justiceforall.com/friday-is-deadline-for-ailing-smokers-to-sue-big-tobacco |title=Friday is deadline for ailing smokers to sue Big Tobacco |accessdate=June 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226115214/http://www.justiceforall.com/friday-is-deadline-for-ailing-smokers-to-sue-big-tobacco/ |archive-date=December 26, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Naugle v. Phillip Morris was tried in Broward County Circuit Court, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and a verdict was returned by the jury on November 20, 2009. The plaintiff was represented by Robert W. Kelley of Kelley/Uustal PLC.<ref name="ML1" />
==Appeal==
In 2010, a final judgment by [[Circuit Court]] Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld reduced the punitive damages to $36.8 million in a post-verdict motion.<ref name="SS2">{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-12-12/news/fl-naugle-tobacco-verdict-20121212_1_lucinda-naugle-addictive-nature-and-health-million-verdict|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216094017/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-12-12/news/fl-naugle-tobacco-verdict-20121212_1_lucinda-naugle-addictive-nature-and-health-million-verdict|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2012|title=Fort Lauderdale woman's big money verdict against tobacco company tossed out|author=Jon Burstein|date=December 12, 2012|work=Sun Sentinel|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref> Philip Morris USA later appealed this award, stating that the punitive damages were still excessive. The appeal was considered at the 4th District Court of Appeal in [[West Palm Beach]], which upheld Philip Morris USA’s liability in the case, but decided that a new jury would consider the final amount to be awarded to the plaintiff.<ref name="SS2" /><ref name="DCA">{{cite web|url=http://www.4dca.org/opinions/June%202012/06-22-12/4D10-1607%20op.pdf|title=Cindy Naugle v. Philip Morris|accessdate= June 1, 2013}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:Philip Morris litigation]]
[[Category:2012 in United States case law]]
[[Category:United States tobacco case law]]
[[Category:Florida state case law]]
[[Category:2012 in Florida]]
[[Category:Smoking in the United States]]