U.S. tobacco giant to pay nearly $24 bil. in cancer lawsuit скачать в хорошем качестве

U.S. tobacco giant to pay nearly $24 bil. in cancer lawsuit

Moving now to the United States... where a Florida state court has ordered the country's second largest cigarette maker to pay nearly 24 billion dollars in a landmark case for cancer victims. Paul, fill us in on the details. The ruling hands a major victory to widow, Cynthia Robinson, who filed the lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company... on behalf of her late husband... Michael Johnson. He died of lung cancer in 1996... at the age of 36,... after smoking for more than 2 decades. His wife argued that the tobacco giant was negligent in failing to warn of the addictive nature of smoking... and other dangers. Lead attorney Willie Gary said the verdict would send a clear message to Big Tobacco. "It's not about the appeals. It's not about the money. We made a difference already. I think less people are going to smoke. I think that the tobacco companies are going to get their act together. They are going to make safer cigarettes. We know they can. They will just make a little less money, but we'll save a whole lot of lives, and that's what it's really all about." The verdict... marks the largest wrongful death payout for a single plaintiff in Florida's history. R.J. Reynolds,... which produces the Camel, Winston and Kool brands,... called the damages "grossly excessive"... and said it would appeal.