Will Hess's Family Get Millions from Philip Morris?

It has been decided in Broward County Circuit Court in Florida that Stuart Hess, a 40 year chain smoker was addicted to nicotine. The court now has to decide whether Philip Morris owes money to his family. This could add up to millions of dollars. Hess died of lung cancer. Ok now my two cents. My mom's best friend died of lung cancer at the age of 62 after being a lifelong smoker. She didn't smoke. Sure she was addicted but there are warnings on cigarettes. As I wrote in a previous article about suing for the non-link between vaccines and autism do we sure Smirnoff when someone dies of liver cirrhosis. Believe me I am a crusader against smoking. I think a huge tax on cigarettes is the way to go. I think Phillip Morris should put most of its money into cancer research but is this family really entitled to money?

The lawyers and Hess's wife Elaine Hess will be in court arguing that Stuart got hooked on cigarettes because of deceptive practices by Philip Morris that hid the dangers of smoking.

It seems the jury will hear a lot more than just Philip Morris' part but in general the decades of actions by the tobacco industry. My daughter worked in the tobacco division of the American Cancer Society so I have had a peek into the history of this. Massachusetts is smoke free and I give my daughter some credit for that.

This particular lawsuit is the first of about 8,000 cases to go to trial since the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 threw out a $145 billion jury. The state's high court upheld the conclusion that tobacco companies knowingly sold dangerous products and concealed smoking's health risks, but ruled each case must be proven individually. The jury's decision Thursday that Hess did not continue smoking by his own choice was crucial.

Here I go again. More people die in cars than planes but more of us are afraid to fly than drive. However it's hard for many to go from point A to point B without a car. I can say I'm addicted to my car. Do I sue? For that matter I am addicted to this computer. If it is giving me a quality of life less than if I didn't have it or if I am suffering eye problems from it then should I sue Dell? I am not joking. As Rachel Maddow says, "please talk me down."

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