- Medical Malpractice
- Product
- Unsafe Drugs
- Pradaxa
- Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Litigation
- Hip Implants - DePuy ASR Hip Recall
- Hip Implants - Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Recall
- Vaginal Mesh Litigation
- Vaginal Mesh - Bard Avaulta Surgical Mesh
- Accutane
- Actos
- Avandia
- Bisphosphonate Litigation
- Chantix
- Darvon and Darvocet Recall
- Knee Implant - Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex
- Kugel Hernia Mesh Patches
- Mentor ObTape Vaginal Sling
- Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch
- Yasmin, Yaz, and Ocella Birth Control
- Other/Archive Drug Products
- Personal Injuries
- Auto Accidents
- Nursing Home Abuse
Broward County Jury Awards $5.3 Million to Smoker’s Surviving Spouse
On August 13, 2009, a Broward County jury ordered Philip Morris to pay $5.3 million to Leon Barbanell, the surviving spouse of a smoker who died of lung cancer in 1996 due to her addiction to nicotine. In apportioning fault for Shirley Barbanell’s death, the jury found her 63.5% responsible and Phillip Morris 36.5% responsible, meaning the widower will receive about $1.9 million in damages. The trial court previously ruled that Mr. Barbanell was not entitled to punitive damages. Philip Morris has vowed to challenge the verdict on appeal.
The Barbanell v. Philip Morris case is one of 8,000 cases filed against Big Tobacco in the Florida court system as a result of a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 in the case of Engle v. Liggett Group, Inc. that disbanded a class action of an estimated 700,000 Floridians.
Click here to read more about the verdict.
Click here to read more about the tobacco litigation in the State of Florida.