Florida Appeals Court Overturns $43 Million Philip Morris U.S. Tobacco Verdict

A divided appeals court Wednesday overturned a $43 million verdict against the cigarette maker Philip Morris USA Inc. in a lawsuit involving the death of a longtime smoker.

A panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, said the trial included improper hearsay testimony from sons of the late smoker, Norma K. Lipp. The panel ordered a new trial.

The majority decision said Lipp smoked filtered cigarettes for decades, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1992 and died a year later. Her son, Michael, as representative of her estate, later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Philip Morris.

Read the source article at Tampa Free Press