A SOUTH Florida jury has ordered Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million (€202m) to a former smoker, agreeing that the tobacco company’s negligence was the cause of her emphysema.

A US jury recommended that cigarette maker Philip Morris USA should pay $13.8m (€9.7m) in punitive damages to the daughter of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris was ordered by a Florida jury to pay US$8m (€6.3m) in damages to the widow of a smoker who died of lung cancer in a case that could set a precedent for around 8,000 other state lawsuits.