£12.5m ruling against tobacco company

An Arkansas man has been awarded more than $19m (€16.1m) after a jury found that a tobacco company’s defective product contributed to his wife’s death.

The federal verdict includes $15m (€12.7m) in punitive damages against Brown & Williamson Tobacco and $4m (€3.4m) in actual damages over the 1999 smoking-related death of Mary Jane Boerner.

The suit was first filed in June 1998 by Henry Boerner and Mary Jane Boerner. Mrs Boerner, who had smoked for 36 years before quitting, died the following year at age 69.

Jurors deliberated for three days before agreeing that Brown & Williamson’s product was defective because it was unreasonably dangerous by design. The company is to appeal.