Tobacco Industry News Sample

Jun 24, 2002 01:26:59

TOBACCO LITIGATION: Lorillard To Appeal Award in Secondhand Smoke Suit

FREDERICK, Maryland (SunStream News) -- Lorillard Tobacco Company vowed to appeal a Miami Circuit Court’s decision awarding damages to a flight attendant who filed a suit alleging personal injury due to exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).

 

Flight attendant Lynn French claimed her chronic sinusitis was the result of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) while working on flights in the 1970s and 80s.

 

“This decision runs contrary to the clear evidence presented during the trial. We are disappointed and continue to believe that plaintiff’s ETS exposure was unrelated to her chronic sinusitis, and that the jury had no basis to assess the amount of damages it did in favor of Ms. French, who had complained of a stuffy nose and an occasional headache. We intend to ask the Court to overturn the verdict, or at least substantially reduce the amount, and we will certainly pursue an appeal while we continue to vigorously defend against similar claims,” said Ronald S. Milstein, Lorillard's Vice President and General Counsel. “We look forward to challenging the court’s trial plan, which prevented us from asserting many defenses that we would have otherwise been able to present.”

 

The suit is the third ETS lawsuit by a former flight attendant to proceed to trial and is the fourth individual ETS suit to reach a verdict. Two previous trials ended in defense verdicts, while one flight attendant case ended in a mistrial and was subsequently dismissed.

 

ss/ire

Source: Class Action Reporter

Publication Date: 2002-06-24

 

NWS:	AWD
	LBR
	LAW

IND:	TOB

GEO:	n-us-fl

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