Morgan & Morgan Smokes Big Tobacco with $91M Verdict

We take it for granted today that cigarettes are both addictive and deadly. Smoking cigarettes has been proven to cause cancers of the lungs, mouth, esophagus, cervix, pancreas, and kidneys, in addition to heart disease, aortic aneurysm, and a host of other diseases. We know this today, which is why public policy trends toward bans in public spaces and anti-smoking campaigns.

But people like Frank Townsend — who for much of the time he was alive smoked cigarettes made by companies such as RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Liggett Group — didn’t know as much about the product liability dangers in previous decades. What was pervasive, though, was tobacco companies’ marketing and advertising, which glamorized smoking and neglected to show how dangerous (and addictive) their tobacco products are.

Townsend’s addiction to smoking cigarettes would cost him dearly. In 1995, he died of lung cancer because of his habit. This left his wife, Lyantie, and family grieving and wondering what they could do to fight the injustice.

While a lawsuit couldn’t give the widowed Lyantie her husband and their old life back, what it did do was provide some monetary help to her and her family, while also holding tobacco companies accountable for getting people hooked on a product they knew could cause a host of cancers and eventually kill their customers.

This is where Morgan & Morgan attorneys John Dill, Keith Mitnik, and Greg Prysock enter the story. The Townsend family turned to these contingency-fee lawyers to take on the task of fighting large, wealthy tobacco companies. Those attorneys stepped up and in 2010 won a jury verdict in excess of $90 million in Florida state court.

Not Afraid to Take on Big Tobacco

Not every law firm is willing or able to take on behemoths like Big Tobacco. Companies like RJ Reynolds have teams of expensive lawyers who put up a seemingly impenetrable defense to anyone who dares to take them on.

The jury learned of the lengths to which Big Tobacco went to market their dangerous, potentially cancerous products and the heartbreaking effects those efforts had on families like the Townsends.

But such a wall didn’t stop Morgan & Morgan from aggressively seeking justice for the Townsend family. The firm’s attorneys have fought Big Tobacco multiple times and have won significant verdicts for families who lost loved ones way too soon because of the deceptive practices of tobacco companies.

Trial lawyers Dill, Prysock, and Mitnik connected with the jury in a deep, engaging way to compel the jurors to understand just what level of injustice the Townsend family endured. The jury learned of the lengths to which Big Tobacco went to market their dangerous, potentially cancerous products and the heartbreaking effects those efforts had on families like the Townsends.

Our attorneys at Morgan & Morgan weren’t afraid to fight Big Tobacco — to do what was right and to tear down the wall of defense that RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Liggett hid behind.

Your Loved Ones Shouldn’t Have to Die Like This

With the help of Morgan & Morgan, Lyantie was able to successfully sue Big Tobacco for compensation related to a variety of things, including medical, financial, and funeral expenses, mental and emotional pain and suffering, and the loss of Frank’s love, affection, support, protection, and companionship.

Taking on Big Tobacco requires years of experience and significant resources, both of which Morgan & Morgan brings to the table. If you lost a loved one to a fatal addiction to tobacco, contact us today for a free, no-risk case evaluation. We’re here to help.