For decades, big tobacco companies lied to the American public, hid evidence that smoking cigarettes and using tobacco products causes cancer and intentionally addicted people to their products for the sole purpose of reaping profits. In recent years, lawyers who specialize in personal injury law have brought a number of high-profile cases against defendants in Big Tobacco, seeking justice for the families of those who have been injured by the willful misrepresentation and outright lies of the tobacco companies. If you live in Florida, and you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition caused by cigarette smoking or tobacco use, should you contact a Florida tobacco lawyer?
Why You Should Contact a Florida Tobacco Lawyer
Many people who smoked cigarettes and contracted emphysema, chronic lung diseases and lung cancer may be able to sue the tobacco companies for damages and medical expenses. Even more to the point, evidence introduced in court cases make it clear that tobacco companies deliberately treated and altered their products to make them more addictive.
They took those actions despite knowing the harm and diseases that are caused by the use of tobacco. A Florida tobacco lawyer can evaluate your case and history and help you decide whether it’s worth your while to bring suit against the tobacco companies that deliberately sold you products that they knew would make you sick and eventually cause your death.
A Florida tobacco lawsuit can hold the tobacco companies accountable for what they did and make them compensate you for the damages they caused. Florida lawyers have a lot of experience with tobacco lawsuits. In a landmark 2000 Florida tobacco lawsuit, a jury awarded a class of 700,000 smokers punitive damages amounting to more than $145 billion.
The case was later overturned, with the Supreme Court ruling that individual smokers must prove their illnesses individually before being awarded any settlement money. Hundreds of Florida smokers brought individual suits against the tobacco companies, but there are many smokers out there who may still have the right to sue for damages based on the lies and deception of the big tobacco companies.
If you believe you may be one of them, contact Kelley/Uustal for a case assessment.
