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Supreme Court Will Review Oregon Smoker's VerdictRichmond, VAJune 09, 2008 The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to review the Oregon Supreme Court's ruling upholding a 1999 verdict that awarded the family of a deceased individual smoker $79.5 million in punitive damages from Philip Morris USA. "Philip Morris USA is pleased that the Supreme Court has accepted review. The Court has previously instructed the Oregon appellate courts to properly apply the constitutional standards to the punitive damage award in this case. The Oregon courts have not done so, and so the Supreme Court has agreed to review the case once again," said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president and associate general counsel, speaking on behalf of PM USA. The Supreme Court initially vacated the Williams verdict in 2003 and sent it back to Oregon appellate courts for reconsideration. Those courts allowed the verdict to stand. In a subsequent appeal, the Supreme Court in 2007 found that it was unconstitutional for the jury to award punitive damages to punish for harm to individuals who were not before the court and again sent the case back for reconsideration. The Oregon Supreme Court refused to change the outcome despite the high court's ruling. In 1999, a Multnomah Circuit Court jury awarded the estate of Jesse Williams, a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer, $521,000 in compensatory damages and $79.5 million in punitive damages. "The company looks forward to presenting its arguments to the Court as to why this case should be overturned once again," Garnick added.
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