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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush

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To: jlallen who wrote (15251)10/5/2002 4:39:22 AM
From: jttmab  Read Replies (1) of 93284
 
NT: Stupid attorney....

latimes.com
Philip Morris Ordered to Pay $28 Billion to Smoker
The L.A. jury's punitive award is the largest to an individual in U.S. history
By HENRY WEINSTEIN, Times Staff Writer

A Los Angeles jury on Friday ordered tobacco giant Philip Morris Cos. to pay $28 billion in punitive damages to a 64-year-old woman suffering from lung cancer. The judgment is the largest punitive award given to an individual in any case in U.S. history.

.....Judge Ettinger instructed the jury that it should consider three factors in assessing how large the punitive award should be if the jury voted for one: the amount of punitive damages that would have a deterrent effect on the company; the degree of reprehensibility of the company's conduct; and that the amount of damages bear a reasonable relationship to the injury suffered.


I'm sure that each one of us would come up with a different number for punitive damages in this case...but why on god's green earth would the defense lawyer, Peter Bleakley, go and do this.

In his closing argument, Bleakley went so far as to concede that Philip Morris could absorb a $20-billion punitive award.
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Peter: What were you thinking? That's what the plaintiff's attorney was saying. You idiot, you're not supposed to agree with the plaintiff's attorney in your closing arguments. What law school did this guy go to? How much does this guy get paid to come up with closing arguments like that? It's not like the attorney is under oath for his closing arguments.

A mere mathematician, would suggest that you would focus the jury on the after-taxes profit of Phillip-Morris [the smallest number possible]; talk about financial bankruptcy, loss of jobs, starving women and children...the end of America as we know it.....not, Oh, $20B isn't so bad. The defense attorney basically told the jury not to even think of anything less than $20B in punitive damages. What a freaking idiot.

jttmab
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