Smoker’s Widow Can’t Seek Punitives For ‘Same Course Of Conduct,’ Panel Rules

(March 7, 2024, 1:11 PM EST) -- MIAMI — A Florida Third District Court of Appeal panel on March 6 affirmed a trial court’s grant of summary judgment on a smoker’s widow’s claim for punitive damages against a tobacco company, ruling in part that under Florida’s punitive damages statute, the widow’s claim for punitive damages failed because it was for the “same course of conduct” for which the company was previously ordered to pay $198 million in other Engle cases....