As Lorillard pulls its business from Shook, Hardy & Bacon, eight of the firm’s attorneys and about 16 staffers will move down the street to represent the tobacco giant at another firm.

Tagged with: Lorillard Shook Hardy & Bacon tobacco industry

Four years ago, attorney Ken McClain (pictured) achieved a partial victory against Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. A jury awarded the family of Barbara Smith $500,000 to compensate for her 2000 death from diseases related to her 48-year smoking habit. But the accompanying $20 million punitive award was thrown out after a lengthy appeals process. This week, the case went back before Jackson County Judge Marco Roldan and a new jury, which must decide a relatively limited question: did Brown & Williamson sell the Kool cigarettes that Smith smoked with complete indifference or conscious disregard for the safety of its customers?

Tagged with: Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. Ken McClain Marco Roldan tobacco industry

Altria Group, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, began defending the first of more than 8,000 suits against the tobacco industry in Florida after the state’s Supreme Court threw out a record $145 billion verdict in 2006. Lawyers for Altria and ...

Tagged with: Altria Group cigarette maker Florida lawsuit Marlboro Supreme Court tobacco industry