How South Florida Lawyers Won $157 Million Verdict in Same-Sex Tobacco Case
The plaintiff's team at the Schlesinger Law Offices in Fort Lauderdale say this same-sex Engle progeny verdict appears to be the first of its kind in the state, and possibly the entire U.S.
November 27, 2019 at 03:00 PM
7 minute read
Fort Lauderdale attorneys Scott Schlesinger, Jonathan Gdanski and Steven J. Hammer of the Schlesinger Law Offices obtained a stinging $157 million jury verdict against tobacco giants Philip Morris USA Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in a case that could transform tobacco litigation for same-sex couples across Florida.
Plaintiff Bryan Rintoul brought the wrongful death suit on behalf of his husband Edward Caprio, who died at 74 in 2018. Formerly a Delray Beach bookkeeper, Caprio was diagnosed in 1996 with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which slowly destroys lung tissue. He later contracted lung cancer and had two-thirds of one lung removed.
Caprio's was "not a peaceful demise," according to Schlesinger.
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