Koballa v. Philip Morris

VERDICT

Trial
03/24/11 – 04/07/11

Summary

In this Engle progeny tobacco litigation proceeding, plaintiff Stella Koballa alleged R J Reynolds of fraudulent concealment of dangers of smoking cigarettes manufactured by the company, which led the plaintiff to get addicted to smoking at age 16. The plaintiff also alleged the company of manufacturing defective cigarettes, which caused her lung cancer (later cured) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The plaintiff claimed that her quit attempts included hypnosis, tapes, acupuncture, and a nicotine patch.
The defense argued that Ms. Koballa's COPD was related to meat wrapper's asthma, and that she had long-standing lung problems unrelated to smoking. Also, the defense asserted that Ms. Koballa's claim was barred by Florida's statute of limitations, because she should have known that she was injured by the defendants at least four years prior to the original filing of the Engle class action in May, 1994.

The plaintiff was represented by attorney Dennis Pantazis. The defendant in this case, R J Reynolds was represented by attorney Benjamine Reid.

The jury found in favor of the plaintiff, and awarded $1M in damages, but allocated only 30% of the fault to R.J. Reynolds.

For more details, visit the CVN Blog.

Outcome

Fault: 30%- RJ Reynolds, 70%- Plaintiff
Damages: 1,000,000-Past, 0-Future

SESSIONS WITH Dr. Thomas Bennett M.D.

PM Session
Plaintiff Witness(es)
2 Chapters
MAR
28
PM Session
Defense Witness(es)
30 Chapters
DescriptionAttorneyWitnessPresence
00:00:00General Case Activities
00:02:03Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
00:18:17General Case Activities
00:20:05Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
00:33:04General Case Activities
00:35:33Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
00:37:53General Case Activities
00:39:17Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
00:51:17General Case Activities
00:53:44Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
01:05:18General Case Activities
01:05:49Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
01:08:58General Case Activities
01:10:52Witness Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
01:12:50Break
01:30:49Witness Cross ExaminationReid, BenjamineFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
01:38:24General Case Activities
01:39:44Witness Cross ExaminationReid, BenjamineFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
01:52:01General Case Activities
01:53:39Witness Cross ExaminationReid, BenjamineFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
02:02:43General Case Activities
02:03:51Witness Cross ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
02:21:23Witness Re-Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
02:22:46General Case Activities
02:23:28Witness Re-Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
02:28:02General Case Activities
02:30:17Witness Re-Direct ExaminationPantazis , DennisFrazier, Dr. Sandra In Person
02:31:09General Case Activities
02:34:07General Case Activities
02:37:16End of Session
MAR
30
APR
4
APR
5

Recording Disclaimer: This proceeding was recorded in full.

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