Today, January 11, marks “Cigarettes are Hazardous to Your Health Day” for 2015. Can you believe that big tobacco companies have known this fact for over fifty years?
Since the 1950s, tobacco companies knew of the dangers of their products while marketing them to the public. Recently, after years of litigation by delay, Lorillard Tobacco Co. was held responsible for placing sales over safety when it came to the design of their products. Mrs. Tajie Major, the wife of U.S. Navy Captain William Major, was awarded $17.736 million after her husband passed away from lung cancer. In a 12-0 verdict, the jury determined that Captain Major’s death to be caused by Lorillard’s negligent design of their Kent and Newport-brand cigarettes.
Gil Purcell, our senior trial partner who represented Mrs. Major, commented on the case: “We are most appreciative of the witnesses with the courage and resolve to come forward and mete out some justice against tobacco companies who profit from mass-produced addiction and misery.”
