A cigarette maker and a smoker’s widow squared off for the third time at the Supreme Court on Wednesday over a $79.5 million punitive damages award, but the real battle was between the justices and their counterparts on Oregon’s high court.
Twice before, the Supreme Court has struck down the judgment against Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA and ordered the Oregon court to take another look at the case. Each time, the Oregon high court has upheld the award to Mayola Williams, the widow of a longtime smoker of Philip Morris’ Marlboro brand.
