Tobacco on Trial: The Engle Progeny Lawsuits in Florida, 2009-2012

Audience: Those involved in tobacco control who promote legislative and other policies and who strive to succeed in counteracting the lobbying and public relations efforts of the tobacco companies.

Key Points:

The presenter will review the history of these 8000 lawsuits, including appeals, following the historic 2006 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court in Engle v. Liggett Group.  Providing an overview of the results of the more than 50 verdicts that have occurred since the first such trial in February 2009, he will analyze how these trials and the resultant publicity about industry misconduct can affect tobacco control policy throughout the country.

The presenter will also consider whether the tobacco companies can successfully “manage” these trials, or whether multi-million dollar payouts will force them to abandon their no-settlement policy.   These key points will be developed after analyzing documents, testimony and judicial opinions.  

Educational Experience: Active in tobacco control since 1979, the presenter will use powerpoint and a question-and-answer session to highlight the most important verdicts and court rulings, keeping in mind that non-lawyers will constitute a large portion of the audience. 

Benefits: The audience will receive the most current information on how American jurors react to industry lawyers who claim that the tobacco companies have turned away from their reprehensible misconduct and who try to put the entire responsibility for a smoker’s illness or death onto the smoker.