A Florida jury ruled against Philip Morris USA and Liggett Group in awarding USD 35 million (EUR 28 million) to a former smoker who underwent two lung transplants, the Associated Press reported.

Jurors found Richard Boatwright, 61, was both addicted to cigarettes and that smoking harmed his health, the AP said. Boatwright’s case was one of thousands filed in Florida since 2006, when the high court threw out a class action suit. Negating a USD 145 billion verdict, the state Supreme Court said plaintiffs could file individual damage suits using the class-action finding that tobacco companies sold a defective and dangerous product.