Tobacco companies have called the ruling unfair and unconstitutional, because it allows juries to look at a previous jury’s findings. The ruling does allow juries in the current smoker lawsuits to see previous jury findings that determined cigarettes are defective and dangerous products. Although the appeals court overturned the award, plaintiffs were allowed to file individual claims and use the liability findings from the class action trial. Reynolds Tobacco Co., to vacate a class action verdict from 2000, which awarded $145 billion to an estimated 700,000 smokers. These individual claims stem from a 2006 decision by the Florida Supreme Court, in Engle v. There are about 8,000 smoker lawsuits filed against tobacco companies in Florida, known as Engle Progeny lawsuits. In that case, the plaintiff, Vince Rennich, said he developed lung cancer after breathing in smoke at the casino for 25 years. The state of Louisiana has refused to ban smoking in bars or gambling establishments on several occasions, but does ban smoking in restaurants, public facilities and most other businesses.Ī similar lawsuit filed against Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was settled in September for $4.5 million. The lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of at least 1,000 nonsmoking Harrah’s casino employees, alleging that Harrah’s failed to take any actions to protect its employees from the dangers of secondhand smoke inhalation.