Former smoker awarded $300m damages

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.

The award for Cindy Naugle, 61, is the largest to date among thousands of lawsuits filed in the state against tobacco companies.

“Cindy admitted her fault to the jury,” her attorney, Robert W Kelley, said in a statement. “But Philip Morris refused to accept any responsibility for her emphysema, even though she was an addicted customer for 25 years.”