An elderly man who developed cancer due to smoking has received over $250,000 in damages from the manufacturer of Camel cigarettes.
Leroy Kirkland initially demanded more than $10 billion from R.J. Reynolds, a sum that represents the largest claim ever made by an individual, yet he ultimately agreed to a settlement of $260,000.
At 71 years old and residing in Tampa, he contended in a Florida court that his cancer and emphysema were a direct result of smoking cigarettes.
The jury awarded Mr. Kirkland $10,000 as compensatory damages along with $250,000 in punitive damages.
As the second-largest tobacco company in the United States, R.J. Reynolds holds a 28 percent market share.
This company operates as a subsidiary of Reynolds American Incorporated, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, producing well-known cigarette brands like Camel and Pall Mall.
Kirkland’s initial demand of over $10 billion exceeded half of Reynolds American’s market capitalization.
This verdict from the jury is part of the ongoing wave of lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers, which are referred to as ‘Engel progeny’ cases, stemming from a significant lawsuit nearly 20 years ago.
“We may have come up a bit short, but we still consider it a victory,” stated Willie Gray, representing Kirkland, following the jury’s finding of 90 percent liability regarding Kirkland’s health issues.
“It could have and should have been a larger amount.”
There has been no immediate comment from R.J. Reynolds, but it is anticipated that the company will contest the verdict.
The ‘Engel progeny’ cases trace back to a landmark lawsuit in 1994 that involved lead plaintiff Howard Engle and the tobacco sector.
In 2000, a jury ordered an unprecedented $145 billion in punitive damages to be paid by tobacco companies to sick smokers, after establishing that cigarettes cause lung cancer and other diseases.
However, in 2006, the Florida Supreme Court annulled this ruling, which dismissed the original cases filed by around 700,000 Florida smokers.
Yet, the court allowed individual lawsuits to proceed, leading to thousands of individual cases now moving through the legal system.
So far, smokers have achieved victories in 22 out of 33 judgments in ‘Engle progeny’ cases.
