Mealey's (October 8, 2015, 1:44 PM EDT) -- PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A jury in Florida on Oct. 6 awarded $5,000 to a man who sued R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJR), alleging that RJR was liable for his wife’s death from lung cancer because she was addicted to the company’s cigarettes, the negative health effects of which RJR had concealed for decades (John Gordon v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, No. 2013CA001552, Fla. Cir., 20th Jud. Cir.).

Allegations

John Gordon sued RJR in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit Court, alleging that his wife, Helen Gordon, suffered...