R.J. Reynolds Topples $41.8 Million Verdict for Deceased Smoker

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. escaped a $41.8 million verdict in favor or the estate of a deceased smoker, a Florida appeals court ruled.

The trial judge improperly limited the company’s defenses, the Florida Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District said.

The tobacco giant should have been allowed to present evidence that Dawn Schlefstein chose to smoke despite knowing the risks, it said Aug. 28, ordering a new trial.

Leslie Schlefstein’s survival suit is an Engle-progeny case, one of many suits brought after the class in Engle v. Liggett Group Inc. was decertified in 2006.

Plaintiffs in individual “Engle ...