[fluff]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6379767.stm

Ms Williams had argued that her husband had believed tobacco companies when they said the product was safe.

Her payout had earlier been upheld by the Oregon state Supreme Court.

In the appeal, Philip Morris said the jury should only have been allowed to punish it for the harm done to Mr Williams and not to other smokers.

____________________________________________


Though $79.5 million dollars to one woman was clearly excessive. It's a shame the courts can't simply order Philip Morris to pay $billions in health care costs.

 

[DRB]

It'll go back to the lower court to have the award modified. The judgement was out of whack.

BUT the wild thing about that decision was how the vote played out.

Breyer, Roberts, Kennedy, Souter and Alito.

Ginsburg, Stevens, Thomas and Scalia dissented.

That's a breakdown you don't see very often.

 

[sanjuro]

Tobacco is not safe?????????

 

[narlus]

Big Business rules.

 

[$tinkle]

Tobacco is not safe?????????

i think they mean NSFW.

but really, our bodies are remarkable filters, and if 2nd hand smoke hasn't been irrefutably found to be the cause of various maladies, then it must follow that some small amount of 1st hand also can be found to be benign.

seem to recall typical medical advice is to stop smoking in the hopes that in some (most?) cases, tissue necessary for 02 exchange regenerates. i would also imagine other - but not all - affected organs would respond likewise.