Philip Morris Wins Rhode Island Verdict
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Philip Morris Cos. said a federal jury in Rhode Island ruled in favor of its U.S. tobacco unit in a lawsuit brought by the wife of a smoker who sought damages for his death.
Judith Hyde sought $1.9 million in compensation in the death of her husband, Walter, claiming the company failed to warn him of possible health hazards when he began smoking as a teenager in 1959.
U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi ruled that the jury could only decide whether the company had a duty to warn Walter Hyde of possible health hazards between 1959 and 1964, when the U.S. Surgeon General issued a finding that cigarette smoking may cause lung cancer in men.
Philip Morris shares closed up $1.28, at $53.31 on the NYSE.
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