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A court in the US has awarded a widow $23.6 billion in damages in a lawsuit against America's second biggest tobacco company, media reports said Sunday. Cynthia Robinson in 2008 initiated legal action against tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in a Florida court seeking compensation for her husband's death in 1996. She claimed that smoking killed her husband Michael, and that the tobacco company failed to inform him that smoking can cause lung cancer, CNN reported.
The punitive damages are the largest of any individual case stemming from a class action lawsuit filed, according to the British daily Independent. The trial took four weeks and the jury deliberated for 15 hours.
'The jury wanted to send a statement that tobacco (companies) cannot continue to lie to the American people and the American government about the addictiveness of and the deadly chemicals in their cigarettes,' a lawyer representing Robinson was quoted as saying by the daily. (Read: Now, a treatment for mouth cancer that kills only cancerous cells!)
R.J. Reynolds plans to appeal against the court's decision. Company's vice president and assistant general counsel Jeffery Raborn called the damages 'grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law'. Earlier in June, the US Supreme Court turned away cigarette manufacturers' appeals of more than $70 million in court judgments to Florida smokers. (Read: Coming soon advanced CT scanner to reduce your lifetime cancer risk)
Here are the most common symptoms of lung cancer usually observed in people
Persistent cough A cough that normally doesn't go away within two to three weeks time or gets worse (intense). It is found that long-standing cough causes pain in the chest while coughing.
Coughing up blood Some lung cancer patients are found to cough up rust colored sputum (mucus or phlegm) that contains blood.
Loss of appetite It is one of the common symptoms observed in most of the cancers. People do not feel like eating (hungry) and hence tend to lose weight unintentionally
Difficulty in breathing Feeling shortness of breath, wheezing (breathing with a noise) or chest congestion are all signs of lung cancer.
Fatigue It is common for patients of lung cancer to feel excessively tired. This persistent weakness is due to a lack of energy and loss of appetite. Read more about 10 common symptoms of lung cancer you need to know
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With inputs from IANS
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