Fla. Judge Calls Jury Award Against Philip Morris ’Excessive’

The judge who presided over a trial in which a jury awarded $300 million to a sick smoker said he would reduce the judgment amount, Law.com reported Feb. 9.

Jurors in the case ordered Philip Morris to pay $56.5 million in compensatory damages and $244 million in punitive damages to Cindy Naugle; the jury determined that the tobacco company was 90 percent liable for her debilitating emphysema.

Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld said the jury award was “excessive” and “shocking,” adding: “I am absolutely persuaded there was a passion in this verdict that resulted in an excessive verdict.”

Streitfeld said that tobacco lawyers’ tactics of blaming the victim in the case backfired, angering the jurors and resulting in a massive award. He said he would adjust the judgment amount based on the evidence in the case.