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CHICAGO, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its commitment against the dangers of cigarette smoking, the American Medical Association (AMA) this week joined several other public interest organizations in a friend-of-the-court brief reaffirming support for a Florida class-action victory against the tobacco industry.
In July 2000, the $145 billion punitive damages verdict in Engle v. Liggett Group Inc. et al sent a strong message to tobacco companies that toying with the health and lives of Americans can be a prohibitively expensive business. The damages awarded in this case, however, could be overturned because an appellate court has reconsidered the case's class certification. The AMA believes the Florida Supreme Court should overturn the appellate court's ruling and compel the tobacco defendants to pay for the damages they continue to inflict on society.
"As long as the tobacco industry profits from business as usual, they must bear responsibility for the human suffering and economic costs that result from tobacco-related illnesses," said AMA Trustee ...