Philip Morris Loses Appeal

Philip Morris USA lost an appeal of a $4.93 million award to the widow of a man who said he would not have started smoking when he was 13 years in the 1960s if he was aware it caused cancer. 

The Second Court of Appeals rejected Philip Morris’ claim that jurors should not have heard the widow’s late husband, David Mulholland’s, assertion because it was contradicted by another recorded statement he made—that he “never really looked” at the warnings once they did start appearing on cigarette packages. 

The case is among thousands filed by smokers and their surviving family members accusing Philip Morris and other cigarette makers of hiding scientific evidence of the dangers of smoking for decades as customers became addicted.  The industry reached a $206 billion settlement with 46 states in 1998, but individual lawsuits persist. 

See Erik Larson, Philip Morris USA Loses Appeal of Widows Label Warning Win, Bloomberg, Jan. 7, 2015.