$23.6 billion awarded in smoking lawsuit. The Florida widow who filed a lawsuit against RJ Reynolds claiming that chain smoking killed her husband has been awarded $23.6 billion in punitive damages by a jury. The jury first awarded Cynthia Robinson who lost her husband Michael Johnson Sr. in 1996 and his two adult children almost $17 million in compensatory damages and few hours later they came back to give her $23.6 billion in punitive damages. Michael Johnson Sr started smoking at the age of 13 and smoked up to 3 packs of cigarettes per day until dying of lung cancer at the age of 36. The widow who was shocked to hear about the $23.6 billion verdict stated that she filed the suit because the company failed to reveal the dangers of smoking.
Cynthia Robinson has been awarded the large sum of $23.6 billion by a Florida jury that heard her lawsuit against R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
During the trial that lasted four weeks Cynthia Robinson’s legal team composed of almost a dozen lawyers (see picture of Cynthia Robinson’s lawyers above) shared the story of her husband Michael Johnson Sr, a chain smoker who had his first cigarette at the age of 13.
Michael Johnson Sr who was a hotel shuttle bus driver was smoking between 1 to 3 packs of Kool brand cigarettes until his death due to lung cancer in 1996.
Johnson Sr who had two children was only 36.
Mrs Cynthia Robinson’s lawyers argued that R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the second-biggest cigarette maker in America lied to its consumers and lied to Congress about the real dangers of smoking.
And the jury agreed.
The smoking trial ended on Wednesday, and after 18 hours of deliberation, the jury awarded the amount of $16.9 million in compensatory damages to the widow of the chain smoker and his children.
$7.3m for Robinson and her 23 year old son and $9.6m to Johnson’s 29-year-old son from a previous relationship.
On Friday the jury returned and announced that they were awarding $23.6 billion to the Floridian.
The widow said that she heard $23.6 million and her attorneys had to explain it was billion.
She added that what the members of the jury did was just unbelievable.
The tobacco company will appeal the $23.6 billion verdict in the smoking case.
