Brannock & Humphries Helps Trial Team Win $7.5 Million Verdict Against Cigarette Company

Following almost three weeks of trial, during which Brannock & Humphries addressed multiple difficult legal questions, a jury in Jacksonville returned a $7.5 million verdict against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for fraudulently concealing from the American public for more than 40 years that it intentionally designed its cigarettes to be powerfully addictive.

Floyd Olson was one of those addicted smokers.  He smoked R.J. Reynolds’ cigarettes for more than 40 years, until he died from lung cancer at only 58 years old.   Mr. Olson’s son brought this lawsuit on behalf of his now-deceased father.  The jury found in favor of Mr. Olson’s son and further found that R.J. Reynolds’ conduct—designing cigarettes to be as addictive as heroin and cocaine, all-the-while knowing that the resulting addictive smoking causes numerous fatal diseases—was so reprehensible that special damages were warranted to punish R.J. Reynolds.

Brannock & Humphries was proud to offer trial support to the powerful team of Gary Paige, Randy Rosenblum, Richard Lantinberg, and Jay Plotkin, who worked incredibly hard to obtain justice for Mr. Olson.  Those efforts will now continue through post-trial motions and a possible appeal by R.J. Reynolds.