The Ruth Law Team’s Eric Roslansky along with Attorney Brent Bigger of Paul | Knopf | Bigger earned one of the 20 largest wrongful death jury awards in Florida in 2017 for their work on the Brown v. Philip Morris, et. al. trial. The $5.8 million total verdict was also one of the Top 50 verdicts in the entire State of Florida in 2017. The Pinellas County jury awarded $5.4 million in compensatory damages and $400,000 in punitive damages to the family of a woman who passed away after years of smoking.

More recently, the same trial team won an even larger tobacco verdict. On February 19, 2018, a Pasco County jury awarded the family $4,500,000 in compensatory to the family of a man who passed away from smoking-related diseases. The next day, that same jury awarded $15,000,000 in punitive damages, punishing R.J. Reynolds for its years of deception as they hid the dangers of smoking and deceived the public for years on end. The combined awards bring a total of $19,500,000 (19.5 million) in damages for the family.

Big tobacco companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds have tried for years to discredit scientific evidence that smoking causes cancer and have successfully marketed to youth to get them hooked on cigarettes.

What Are Compensatory Damages?

Compensatory damages are awarded to the family for pain, suffering and loss of life. Unfortunately, no amount of money can bring back the life of a loved one or negate the pain and suffering endured.

What Are Punitive Damages?

Punitive damages are intended to punish the tobacco companies’ wrongful conduct and to deter future misconduct. Unfortunately, while our clients became addicted to the cigarettes that damaged their health and ultimately caused their deaths, R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris were well aware of the health complications the cigarettes could cause.

We are grateful to these families for allowing The Ruth Law Team to Get Justice for them during this long and difficult time of their lives. It has been our pleasure to fight for justice on their behalf.

About Attorneys Eric Roslansky and Brent Bigger

Eric Roslansky is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer for The Ruth Law Team who has earned more than $100 million in jury verdicts on behalf of his clients. Brent Bigger is a founding and managing member of Paul | Knopf | Bigger PLLC.

Learn More About Wrongful Death

Why does The Ruth Law Team pursue wrongful death claims? It’s not about revenge, and it’s not about money. Watch our wrongful death video below.