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Marie's family decided to confront the maker of Newport cigarettes for their negligent behavior and won a stunning $152 million lawsuit against the company. The judgment consisted of $81 million in damages and another $71 million that was awarded earlier this week. It took quite a few years to get there, but justice has been served. This is the largest judgment in history against anyone in the tobacco industry.
"It was her wish to sort of bring this suit, and I've honored that wish. It's been my mission to see this to completion. I'm sure she feels vindicated. I'm sure she feels thankful for the 14 members of the jury that they ruled that they committed these offenses," said William Evan's, Marie's son.
Lorillard is the company behind Newport cigarettes. As expected, they deny targeting cigarettes toward young people and plan to appeal the verdict. We can also expect that the drama is far from over, and it may be quite some time before Marie's family will see a penny of the money from this lawsuit.
During my PhD program, I spent quite a bit of time studying the history of tobacco lawsuits. I found that tobacco companies have been ruthless through the years when it comes to defending themselves against these sorts of claims. Anyone who dared to take on the tobacco industry found himself/herself to be the subject of intense background checks, legal manipulation and significant amounts of intimidation. The excessive counter-attacks of the industry were due to the fact that they knew that if one of them lost a suit, then the entire industry could crumble.
Tobacco companies even went as far as creating "think tanks" that did research claiming that cigarettes are actually healthy and that any claim of their being harmful was ultimately incorrect. It took decades to crack the shell of corporate irresponsibility, as the beast of capitalism made public health secondary to the pursuit of profitable outcomes.
One of the greatest victims of capitalism gone wild are minorities and the poor. The atrocious decision of Lorillard to distribute cigarettes to poor kids in the projects is hardly something that would be allowed in a wealthier neighborhood. Similarly, entities like the prison industrial complex and the NCAA are also allowed to operate without any degree of government regulation, primarily because nobody cares about what companies are doing to poor people. African Americans must be intelligent about how capitalism works, and the fact that corporate systems are not designed to care much about people, their health or whether they live or die. That is one of the downsides of living in America.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the bookBlack American Money To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (49)
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By: LYNNE on 12/19/2010 11:00PM
I do not agree with this judgement, "nobody" can make a person smoke, she smoked because she wanted to free or not...it is a choice one must make even if you are old or young. People offer all things it is just a matter of saying NO.
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By: HoneyKone on 12/18/2010 6:57PM
So, you would find it acceptable if your child's school provided him/her with free samples of cigarettes??
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By: unknown on 12/19/2010 2:48PM
You are so smart, a 13 year old just saying no and that's that. Forget the fact that children are some of the most vulnerable members of society, therefore they need our protection more than others.
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By: frank on 12/21/2010 6:48AM
LYNNE...IF THE GRAVITY OF ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES ON
PEOPLE ARE AS LIGHT, SIMPLE, EASY, AND LOGICAL AS
YOU THINK...COCAINE AND OPIUM MIGHT BE FOR SALE,
AT THE LIQUOR STORES.....
CIGARETTES SHOULD BE OUTLAWED AND ANY SENSEABLE
PERSON KNOWS IT...YES, EVEN PEOPLE ADDICTED TO
THEM KNOWS IT....CIGARETTES ARE KILLING MORE
PEOPLE THAN ALL CAR ACCIDENTS, DRUG RELATED
DEATHS, ALCOHOL RELATED DEATHS, AND
AIDS...COMBINED... NOW WHY THE HELL WOULD
SOMETHING LIKE THAT BE LEGAL TO SELL?
TOBACCO COMPANIES ARE VERY RICH, POWERFUL, SPREAD
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AROUND IN ADVERTISING, JOBS,
LOBBYISTS, POLITICIANS, THEY CAN BUY SCIENTISTS
THAT ARE WILLING TO DEFEND THEM, AND ADDICTED
CUSTOMERS FIND IT DIFFICULT NOT TO FEED THIS IRON
CHAIN ADDICTION...AND THE YOUNGER "BIG TOBACCO"
CAN GET THE FIRST PUFFS INTO PEOPLE, THE BETTER
THEY FIGURE...OH, I FORGOT...BIG TOBACCO ISN'T
OUTLAWED BECAUSE ASSHOLES LIKE "LYNNE"..THAT WOULD
NOT WANT "THEIR KIDS" HOOKED OF CIGARETTES,
COCAINE AND OPIUM, FIGHT FOR THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY
BY SAYING...
"SMOKING IS SIMPLY A DECISION, NOBODY FORCES PEOPLE TO SMOKE"
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By: WALLY on 12/21/2010 8:28AM
Poor thing smoking newports all those years...
Now she'll be able to go all out and buy the marlboros and camels she's always wanted.
She's had her eye on the iron lung in the camel catalog for some time now.
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By: Satin on 12/21/2010 9:37AM
She was nine years old I guess you didn't read that. Smoking is like a drug, people get addicted to them. The tobacco company's make big money off of the public, government makes big money as well off of taxing cigarettes so why shouldn't people who have smoked for years get paid for the damage cigarettes cause, as well as the families of those who have lost love ones because of cigarettes. Even though there are warning labels on a pack of cigaretts (NOW), I feel that those addicted to nicotine cigarettes and have been smoking for well over 25 years or more, should all get paid if they get lung deseases from smoking cigarettes and should get free health care from the tobacco companys and the government as well. The warning labels on cigarettes are just that, (a warning), but it does not begin to describe the lung deseases, cancer and the heartache that families go threw watching a love one die because of the illnesses cigarettes cause. Tobacco company's get rich off of people and they don't care if you live or die only that they make a profit. Cigarette's are bad for your health and they are killing people and that's that. Why shouldn't people get paid? You get hooked on cigarettes something that is going to kill you in the long run and you pay dearly with your life each day you smoke. If government is so concern about the publics health they would have ban cigarettes a long time ago. Government really doesn't care because state and government profit from the sell of cigarettes and they have a nerve to call it a sin tax because you are paying so much for a pack of cigarettes something that is killing you. A sin tax!! And don't believe the hype they are using that money for schools etc., etc., because if you believe that look how much education has fallen. It's a sin what the tobacco companies are getting away with as well as government both making a profit off of your life. It's a sin that they didn't make aware the damages that cigarettes can cause decades ago to the smoker who has smoked all their lives who are up in age and suffering from bad health due to cigarettes. If the government really wanted the public to really stay healthy and they cared they'd ban cigarettes altogether. Yes! No one puts a gun to the smokers head but you can not justify giving a nine year old cigarettes just so they can get hooked on something that will kill them in the long run. (Genocide) This case is a big win and represents a lot of people who have been hooked on cigarettes for more than twenty five years and for some, all of their lives. Hopefully it opens up the doors for more cases against the tobacco companies and government as well. The damage and deseases that cigarettes cause and the heartache the families suffer due to the lost of a love one because of cigarettes you can't even begin to imagine or else you've went threw it yourself. This case is a victory in my eyes, money well deserved. I also believe that the tobacco companies should be held accountable for those people suffering from health problems due to cigarettes especially for smokers who have been smoking past the twenty or twenty five year mark or any smoker no matter the length of time who is suffering from any desease caused by cigarette smoking and second hand smoke as well. Cigarettes are like smoking guns, they kill and where is the justice in that. Free medical should also by added for those suffering from illnesses due to cigarettes and free treatments to get the smoker to stop, totally free compliments of the tobacco company and your government. Smoking is an addiction like any drug or anyone who is a alcholic or any addiction none to man. The tobacco company's have kept people hooked for years with there commericals, ads, hollywood style tactics, and the crap they put in cigarettes to keep you hooked so they can profit off your death all at the same time. I picked up my first cigarette at 11 years old, a child that didn't have a clue and at NO fault of my own because adults left them around and made it easy for a child to get. Children back in the day could go to the stores and by cigarettes with a note saying it was from their parents or any adult easy, without question from the store merchant as well as buying alchol decades ago. I have been smokering on and off for well over 40 something years the truth be told. NO one put a gun to my head at 11 years of age but they sure made it easy for me to be able to get a cigarette back in those days from a adult or any corner store. There was NO law protecting me back then and if there was they sure didn't enforce it. The same way the government put drugs and alchol in the inner city communities, cigarette's were easy to get as well. Sorry you feel the way you do LYNNE but I think this is money well deserved. A victory that will open the door for many and its about time. Don't get offended because the victims family is black who has been awarded millions for the death of a love one due to lung cancer who have finally found justice against the tobacco industry because they lost a love one. Death is not racist in any form. Justice is sweet when the truth is revealed without a doubt. The tobacco companies and your government who promote death by selling death in a 20 pack trying to genocide people all to make a profit, this is truth and its a smoking gun without a doubt.
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By: Justifyed on 12/21/2010 3:31PM
She smoked probably because of the environment she lived in, my parents didn't smoke, so I didn't want to. I did eventually when I was in my 20's but it was out of sheer boredom, therefore when it was time for me to quit, it was easy.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy for most. I have NEVER smoked in front of my kids, and they hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
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By: barry on 12/21/2010 9:48PM
@Lynn: YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! YOUR STATEMENT IS VERY CRUEL AND MEAN! AS ADULTS WE SHOULD ALWAYS PROTECT THE CHILDREN FROM EVIL VILLIANS LIKE TOBACCO COMPANY'S. SHAME ON YOU lynne.
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By: Barry on 12/21/2010 9:58PM
@Lynne: Why would you make such a depraved comment unless you are working for the tobacco industry.
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By: Roxie callegari on 12/22/2010 1:23AM
that's what i think. It was her responsibity to to kick the habit.
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