Fontaine v. Philip Morris

Summary

In this tobacco case, Barbara Fontaine developed fatal lung cancer after smoking cigarettes for more than four decades. Barbara's husband, Armand Fontaine, sues Philip Morris, claiming that their campaign to hide the dangers of smoking caused Barbara's death.

Attorneys for Armand assert that Philip Morris could have produced safer cigarette designs with lower nicotine levels. They claim that, despite knowing the risks of smoking, Morris continued to manufacture and market cigarettes with higher levels of nicotine.

Philip Morris asserts that these safer cigarettes would not have been successful, as consumers did not like the taste. Additionally, Morris' attorneys argue that these alternatively designed cigarettes were still dangerous to consumers.

Outcome

Verdict for the plaintiff against defendant Philip Morris USA, Inc.
Verdict for defendant Demoulas Super Markets, Inc.

Total damages: $1.008 billion.
Including $8.014 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages.

Playlists

Openings Setting Up CVN's Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff's Verdicts of 2022

Closings That Keyed Billion-Dollar Verdicts