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Mealey's Tobacco

  • June 27, 2018

    Minnesota Federal Judge Sends Deeming Rule Row To D.C. Federal Court

    MINNEAPOLIS — A motion to transfer a constitutional challenge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “deeming rule” was granted June 26 by a Minnesota federal judge who found that the case should proceed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Jen Hoban, et al., v. United States Food and Drug Administration, et al., No. 18-269, D. Minn., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 106188).

  • June 26, 2018

    En Banc Pennsylvania Court: ‘Integral’ E-Cigarette Parts Not Separately Taxable

    HARRISBURG, Pa. — In a June 22 ruling, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found that despite a “rational basis” for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to define an e-cigarette device and e-cigarette liquid containing nicotine as “tobacco products,” a state statute does not support authorizing the Department of Revenue (DOR) to levy separate taxes for each separately packaged component e-cigarette part (East Coast Vapor LLC v. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, No. 515 M.D. 2017, Pa. Cmwlth).

  • June 25, 2018

    Jury Sides With R.J. Reynolds In Florida Engle Progeny Case

    MIAMI — A plaintiff’s assertions of Engle class membership were rejected June 22 by a Florida jury, which rendered a verdict in favor of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. on allegations of wrongful death by the son of a smoker (Mark Cohen, as Personal Representative to the Estate of Shirley Cohen v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 14-018677CA23, Fla. Cir., 11th Jud., Dade Co.). VIDEO FROM THE TRIAL IS AVAILABLE.

  • June 25, 2018

    Florida Supreme Court Won’t Exercise Jurisdiction Over Tobacco Case

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a June 22 order, the Florida Supreme Court declined to exercise jurisdiction over an Engle progeny case in view of Schoeff v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and accordingly let stand a $32.75 million compensatory and punitive damages award in favor of two tobacco plaintiffs (Philip Morris USA Inc., et al. v. Richard Boatright, et al., No. SC17-894, Fla. Sup., 2018 Fla. LEXIS 1265).

  • June 25, 2018

    Florida Jury Awards Tobacco Plaintiff $3 Million, Denies Punitive Damages

    FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Florida jury on June 20 awarded the widow of a smoker $3 million in compensatory damages in an Engle progeny lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Jacqueline Burgess, Personal Representative of the Estate of Johnny Burgess v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 562009CA006060, Fla. Cir., 19th Jud., St. Lucie Co.). VIDEO FROM THE TRIAL IS AVAILABLE.

  • June 18, 2018

    At Retrial, Florida Tobacco Plaintiff Wins $500,000 Punitive Damage Award

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The widow of a smoker who was awarded $4 million in compensatory damages in November 2014 won an additional $500,000 on June 15 following a new trial on her entitlement to seek punitive damages against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Debra Perrotto, as personal representative of the estate of Nicholas Perrotto v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 502007CA023841XXXXMB, Fla. 15th Jud Cir., Palm Beach Co.). VIDEO FROM THE TRIAL IS AVAILABLE.

  • June 15, 2018

    Tobacco Plaintiff’s $18.7 Million Award Upheld By Appeals Court

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a June 13 per curium decision, the First District Florida Court of Appeal let stand a jury’s award of $18.7 million on behalf of the widow of a smoker in an Engle progeny wrongful death case (Philip Morris USA Inc. v. Mary Faricy Pardue on behalf of the estate of John H. Faricy, No. 1D17-959, Fla. App., 1st Dist., 2018 Fla. App. LEXIS 8282).

  • June 11, 2018

    New York High Court OKs Pre-Collection Of Cigarette Taxes On Tribal Land

    ALBANY, N.Y. — In a June 7 ruling, the New York Court of Appeals found that enforcement of a law that requires retailers on reservation land to prepay taxes on cigarette sales to patrons who are not members of the Seneca Nation of Indians does not run afoul of Indian Law Section 6 or the Buffalo Creek Treaty of 1842 (Eric White, et al. v. Eric Schneiderman, et al., No. 59, N.Y. App., 2018 N.Y. LEXIS 1353).

  • June 11, 2018

    Florida Jury Sides With Smoker’s Widower, Awards $20 Million In Damages

    FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A request for a mistrial by two tobacco companies was denied June 2 when a Florida judge instead found that an initial, inconsistent verdict by jurors in an Engle progeny case and $8 million award for wrongful death could stand; nearly one week later, on the evening of June 8, the jury rendered a punitive damage award of $12 million (Herbert Landi v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. CACE08025814, Fla. Cir., 17th Jud., Broward Co.). VIDEO FROM THE TRIAL IS AVAILABLE.

  • June 8, 2018

    Jurors: Addiction Not Legal Cause Of Florida Man’s Lung Cancer Death

    MIAMI — A Florida jury on June 6 sided with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. when, after brief deliberations, it found that a plaintiff’s husband — who died in 1994 of lung cancer — was not a member of the Engle class (Eulalia Lopez v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 2008-076453-CA-01., Fla. Cir., 11th Jud., Miami-Dade Co.).

  • June 7, 2018

    Florida Appeals Court: Stay Of Judgment In Engle Progeny Case Required

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida judge erred in refusing to stay execution of a judgment where R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. complied with Florida’s bond-cap statute by posting a $15 million bond, the Fourth District Florida Court of Appeal ruled June 6 (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Jan Grossman, No. 4D18-627, Fla. App., 4th Dist.).

  • June 7, 2018

    Texas Federal Judge Sends Lawsuit Over Deeming Rule To D.C. Federal Court

    DALLAS — In a June 4 order, a federal judge in Texas agreed to send a lawsuit that questions the constitutionality of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “deeming rule” to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for further adjudication (Rave Salon Inc., et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, et al., No. 18-237, N.D. Texas).

  • June 7, 2018

    Florida Appeals Court Affirms Transfer Of Engle Progeny Lawsuit

    MIAMI — In a per curiam opinion issued June 6, the Third District Florida Court of Appeal rejected a challenge by the widow of a smoker of a July 2017 transfer of her wrongful death claims against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from Miami-Dade to Martin County (Phyllis Muro v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 3D17-1765, Fla. App., 3rd Dist., 2018 Fla. App. LEXIS 7820).

  • June 7, 2018

    Florida High Court Holds Arguments In Dispute Over Adult Child’s $20M Award

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In oral arguments on June 6 in a dispute over a vacated $20 million compensatory and punitive damage award, Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Pariente told an attorney for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. that the relationship between a plaintiff and her late mother, who died of lung cancer, was so exceptionally close that “every factor” points to “a substantial verdict for her pain and suffering, and loss of companionship” (Gwendolyn E. Odom v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. SC17-563, Fla. Sup.).

  • June 1, 2018

    Florida Judge Declares Mistrial In Tobacco Case When Jurors Can’t Agree

    MELBOURNE, Fla. — An Engle progeny case ended in a mistrial on May 30 after jurors empaneled in the 18th Judicial Circuit Court for Brevard County, Fla., announced that they were unable to reach a verdict (Pearl Morse, as Personal Representative for the Estate of Jay S. Morse v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 08-CA-6848, Fla. 18th Jud. Cir., Brevard Co.).

  • May 31, 2018

    Florida Federal Judge Won’t Enforce Settlement Of Wrongful Death Claims

    MIAMI — In a May 25 order, U.S. Judge Kenneth A. Marra of the Southern District of Florida declined a joint request by attorneys for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and the widower of a smoker that the court retain jurisdiction to enforce the terms of their settlement of wrongful death claims (Herbert Potish, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Lena Potish, v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 15-81171, S.D. Fla., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89211).

  • May 29, 2018

    Jury Sides With Tobacco Companies, Says Plaintiff Not A Member Of Engle Class

    SARASOTA, Fla. — An Engle progeny case ended May 23 in a defense verdict, when jurors empaneled in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court for Sarasota County, Fla., answered “no” to the question of whether a plaintiff was addicted to smoking and whether smoking was the legal cause of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema (John Joseph Damiano Jr. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 2011-CA-000450-NC, Fla. Cir., 12th Jud., Sarasota Co.).

  • May 25, 2018

    D.C. Federal Judge Won’t Wade Into Dispute Over Correct Advertising Payment

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a May 24 memorandum, a District of Columbia federal judge turned away a publisher’s request that the court compel tobacco manufacturers to reimburse The Little Rock Sun Community Newspaper for costs associated with printing court-approved corrective advertising (United States, et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc., et al., No. 99-2496, D. D.C., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86967).

  • May 24, 2018

    Florida Jury Sides With Widow, Awards $21 Million Following Tobacco Trial

    SARASOTA, Fla. — A Florida jury on May 22 returned a verdict against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA Inc., deeming the tobacco companies primarily responsible for the lung cancer death of Edward “Fred” Theis; one day later, on May 23, the jury awarded his widow $14 million in punitive damages (Faye Theis v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 2011-CA-001941-NC, Fla. 12th Jud. Cir., Sarasota Co.). VIDEO FROM THE TRIAL IS AVAILABLE.

  • May 24, 2018

    Pennsylvania Federal Judge Dismisses Tobacco Executives From Lawsuit

    PHILADELPHIA — Efforts by a Pennsylvania man suffering from emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to sue, personally, the president and chief executives of three tobacco companies were dismissed May 21 by a Pennsylvania federal judge (Ted. A. McCracken v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al., No. 17-4495, E.D. Pa., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84573).