Tobacco Litigation
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Smoking tobacco causes almost 1 of every 5 deaths in this country today, according to the Center for Disease Control. More Americans die from tobacco-related illness than from car crashes, HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, murders, and suicides, combined.
Tobacco Bond Bill - April 15th, 2009
Tobacco is a Killer
Smoking causes cancer and other illnesses and medical conditions.. It hurts almost every organ of the body and is a leading cause of both cancer and cardiovascular (heart) disease. Smoking cigarettes doubles the chance that someone will have a stroke, increases the chance of respiratory disease (like emphysema) ten-fold, and not only increases the risk of infertility but also contributes to stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Despite the Knowledge that Tobacco Kills People, the Legal Fight against Tobacco Companies Continues
Florida personal injury attorney and tobacco lawyer J.B. Harris has been one of the leaders in pursuing injury and death claims against the manufacturers and distributors of tobacco products in this country under the Florida Supreme Court’s post-Engle regime.
What is “Big Tobacco”?
Big Tobacco is the nickname that is often applied to the "big three" tobacco corporations in the United States. The term usually refers to tobacco companies R. J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and British American Tobacco, but can also include other companies with a major stake in tobacco consumption, such as Lorillard or Brown & Williamson.
The phrase is often used in the media, as well as TheTruth.com, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and other anti-smoking ad campaigns funded by the Master Settlement Agreement. And while “Big Tobacco” usually corresponds to their major tobacco product – cigarettes -- the dangers of tobacco consumption include every product made and sold that involves the ingestion of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco (“chew”) and snuff.
The 2008 Engel Trust Fund and the 1998 Tobacco Settlement – the Fight’s Not Finished
As early as the 1990s, courtrooms across the country were filled with personal injury attorneys like Florida tobacco lawyer J.B. Harris, challenging the tobacco companies and working to make these huge, global enterprises responsible for their horrific actions. Class actions were filed, and settlements were reached.
Florida’s Big Tobacco case: Engel v. Liggett
The case of Engle v. Liggett, filed in Miami by Susan and Stanley Rosenblatt, resulted in the largest punitive damage award in U.S. history against the big five U.S. tobacco companies. As part of the appeal, the tobacco defendants created trust fund for Florida victims injured by tobacco products that ultimately grew to $600 million. Harris has been successful in obtaining $1.4 million for his clients entitled to compensation under the fund. Those funds are still being distributed.
National, 26-State Big Tobacco Settlement
In the well-known national fight against tobacco products, which reached across 26 states, a settlement was reached in 1998 where the tobacco companies promised not to “take any action, directly or indirectly, to target youth.”
This huge settlement did curtail the activities of Big Tobacco, but nothing so far has truly stopped these companies from intentionally marketing and selling products scientifically proven to harm and kill people to citizens of the United States and elsewhere around the globe.
The War to Stop Tobacco Companies Will be Won in the Courtroom, and Florida Personal Injury Attorney J.B. Harris Is Zealously Dedicated to Continue The Fight – For as Long as It Takes
As a tobacco lawyer, J.B. Harris is fervent in his dedication to representing victims of illness and disease that has resulted from the use of tobacco products, as well as their families. Whether it is representing the individual who has lost their spouse to lung cancer or the client who is facing permanent damage (loss of tongue, lung, etc.) due to the long term inhalation of tobacco smoke, or the family who has lost their child to SIDS brought about by cigarette smoking, J.B. Harris want to use his years of experience and knowledge in tobacco litigation to help people in their fight for justice against Big Tobacco.
Visit SueBigTobacco.net
For much more information on Big Tobacco, personal injuries due to tobacco ingestion and tobacco inhalation, and lawsuits based on the harm done by cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco (“chew”) and snuff, please visit suebigtobacco.net.
Media Coverage:
Suit accuses tobacco firms of targeting black consumers
June 6, 2007
ID
A Miami lawyer alleged that tobacco companies' targeting of black smokers led to the death of his client's mother and grandmother.
June 8, 2007
Miami Herald
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed due to a tobacco product (cigarette, cigar, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco), then you may have a legal claim for legal damages as well as the right for justice against the wrongdoer and you are welcomed to contact the Miami personal injury lawyers / tobacco attorneys at J.B. Harris, P.A. to schedule a free initial legal consultation at (305) 374-6360.
