National plaintiffs’ law firm Morgan & Morgan has kept the Florida courts busy in the past week by winning five jury verdicts totalling more than $3.67 million.
The first four verdicts were all announced on July 12, and were comprised by more than $2 million in awards from cases involving an injured dock worker who sustained a brain injury while on-the-job and three separate car crash victims.
The cases are: Rex L. Craig, Jr., v. C-Scape Construction Inc., and Bulldog Marine, Inc., case number 14-003536- CI, in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, Florida; Gloria Scott vs. Allstate Insurance Company, case number 2015 CA 006364, Division CV-D, in Duval County, Florida; Melody Dianaty v. Kristin N. Fullerton, case number 29-2015-CA-004314, in the Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, in and for Hillsborough County, Florida; and 2015-CA-007761-O, in the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, in and for Orange County, Florida.
On July 19, the firm secured a $1.65 million verdict for its client, John Maloney on behalf of his late wife, Carolyn, against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, ending an eight-year-long court battle.
Maloney lost his wife 14 years ago to lung cancer as a result of her lifelong addiction to R.J. Reynolds’ tobacco products, and has fought ever since to hold the company liable for her death.
The case is significant because it is part of the “Engle Progeny” litigation. After the Florida Supreme Court decertified a class action lawsuit filed by pediatrician Howard Engle for injuries suffered due to smoking, thousands of former class members were able to file individual lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers for their injuries and losses.
Mrs. Maloney was one of those former class members and this suit was the first of the “Engle” cases to be won in the jurisdiction.
Morgan & Morgan lawyers Craig Stevens and John Dill represented the plaintiff.
“I spent eight years fighting this case for Mr. Maloney,” said Stevens. “We went through two jury trials to finally get justice.”
The case is John Maloney, as PR of the Estate of Carolyn Maloney vs. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., case number 07-CA-015578, in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida.
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