FEDERAL JURY RETURNS VERDICT FOR PHILIP MORRIS U.S.A.; FINDS SMOKER KNEW OF HEALTH RISKS.Business Editors PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2002 A federal jury has returned a verdict in favor of Philip Morris U.S.A. in a case brought by the family of a Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. smoker. Judith Hyde sought compensatory damages A sum of money awarded in a civil action by a court to indemnify a person for the particular loss, detriment, or injury suffered as a result of the unlawful conduct of another. for the death of her husband, Walter, because she said the company failed to warn him of the possible health hazards when he began smoking in 1959 as a teenager. "The jury concluded that there was widespread common knowledge of the health hazards of smoking even before the Surgeon General's warning was put on cigarette packages," said William S. Ohlemeyer, vice president and associate general counsel for Philip Morris Companies. "The evidence showed that, like other members of the public, Mr. Hyde was aware of the risks of smoking and was legally responsible for his decision to smoke in light of those risks," he added. U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi had ruled the only question to be determined was whether the company had a duty to warn duty to warn AIDS A legal concept indicating that a health care provider who learns that an HIV-infected Pt is likely to transmit the virus to another identifiable person must take steps to warn that person Mr. Hyde of possible health hazards between 1959 and 1964, when the U.S. Surgeon General The U.S. Surgeon General is charged with the protection and advancement of health in the United States. Since the 1960s the surgeon general has become a highly visible federal public health official, speaking out against known health risks such as tobacco use, and promoting disease issued a finding that cigarette smoking may cause lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. in men, and therefore could be responsible for compensatory damages only. Judge Lisi had ruled that, once the Surgeon General's report was issued, there was no question over whether tobacco companies had a responsibility to warn of smoking dangers. |
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