A Florida appeals court ordered a new trial in an Engle progeny case that brought an award of USD 23 billion (EUR 21.7 billion) in punitive damages against RJ Reynolds Tobacco in 2014, the Winston-Salem Journal said.
The First District Court of Appeal cited improprieties in closing arguments by attorneys for plaintiff Cynthia Robinson, the widow of deceased smoker Michael Johnson Sr. Reynolds had asked for a new trial in 2015 after another Florida judge reduced the punitive award to USD 16.9 billion, the newspaper reported.
Engle progeny cases stem for a 2006 Florida Supreme Court ruling decertifying a state class-action suit bearing the name of deceased smoker Howard Engle, but allowing class-action participants to make use of the findings if they chose to file individual lawsuits.