consumer protection
Alachua County Woman Awarded Millions for Husband’s Tobacco Death
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, a widow was recently awarded a multi-million dollar settlement to be paid out by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. While a spokeswoman for the tobacco giant revealed that the company plans to appeal the decision, this verdict is nevertheless emblematic of negligent companies being forced to take responsibility when their products have caused harm to consumers. In the above mentioned case, the widow was awarded $5 million in damages and $12.5 million in punitive damages, all because the woman’s husband died from lung cancer, presumably after using R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. products.
Regardless of what type of product a person uses, the company responsible for that product has the obligation to manufacture a product that is free of defect, safe for consumers to use under normal conditions, and does not pose an unreasonable threat to a consumer’s well-being. In instances where a defective or faulty product harms a consumer, or if a product is improperly labeled or lacking an accurate warning notice, the consumer may be able to seek damages from the product’s manufacturer. Negligent manufacturer behavior can take multiple forms, but the most common types stem from the product’s initial design, the way the product is manufactured, and the way in which consumers are warned of potential hazards that a product poses via the product’s packaging and warning labels.
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