Supreme Court Lets Stand Tobacco Firm’s $80 Million Punitive Damages

The Supreme Court dismissed Tuesday an appeal by Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA over $79.5 million in punitive damages awarded to the widow of a longtime Oregon smoker.

The top court did not decide the merits of the dispute, but in a one-sentence ruling said the appeal was dismissed as “improvidently granted.” Philip Morris in its appeal had argued that the Oregon Supreme Court in upholding the award had defied an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case.

(Reporting by James Vicini, Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Latest Comments

• April 1, 2009 at 8:16 am

  Melissa says:

  The term "Supreme Court" is almost comical. It even sounds like vestiges of past civilizations. You have a select few men & women with egoes bigger than their a sses who dre... read more
• April 1, 2009 at 8:03 am

  Todd says:

  This court failed in it's role. The only thing "supreme" about it is its level of ignorance and unrealism. You don't let absurd verdict like this stand. The tobacco company... read more
• April 1, 2009 at 7:09 am

  wudchuck says:

  so here's the problem: the gov't knew about the addiction and had the recipe locked up in their own vault. what the gov't fail to realize because of their own ignorance, there... read more