$100M Settlement For Hundreds In Florida Tobacco Lawsuits
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – A multi-million dollar settlement has been reached between three major tobacco companies and hundreds of people who sued them in the state's federal court.
The tentative agreement, announced Wednesday, involves R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. The $100 million deal resolves about 400 cases pending before a federal judge in Jacksonville, Florida but does not affect thousands of other lawsuits pending in Florida state courts.
The lawsuits stemmed from a 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision, known as Engle, that threw out a $145 billion class-action verdict against cigarette makers.
That decision let stand findings that the companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid smoking hazards. But the ruling also required smokers and their families to pursue individual lawsuits.
The settlement Wednesday would end the federal cases.
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