**THIS** is but one reason why we vote DEMOCRATIC ......

[Stinky The Clown]

Court tosses punitive damages against Big Tobacco

Fat Tony must be shaking like Jabba the Hut over today's decision. Alito and Roberts are probably in a lounge together someplace, robes tented.

A BIG victory of BIG bidniss.

Stand by ...... the REPUBLIC Supremes are JUST getting started ...............

[Milo_Bloom]

1. Just to play Devil's Advocate for a second

There are some key phrases in this.

"In their ruling, the justices decided to follow recent precedent that punitive damages should, in most cases, match "actual" damages."

I am not sure exactly how "recent" this precedent was, but if that is the precedent, the court is supposed to follow it.

I also take issue with this, "The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $32 million, but higher state courts restored the award to the original amount. Much of the money, under state law, is to go to a special fund to help victims of crime."

Why would the money go to a source other than "health care" or victims of smoking related problems?

I think what we really need to do is work on changing the underlying laws and set up a punative damage system in the written law, so that justices would have no choice but to let awards stand, since they would follow the law.

The law can specifically state the unlimited nature of punative damages and dictate exactly how the money should be used (with none going to the attorney's in the case and I say this as an ex-attorney) and the money should be used in a way that is directly related to the case. This would avoid future awards from being overturned.

[Clark2008]

2. You're back!!

How are you feeling?

Maybe you've been back and I've missed you - but I wanted to say "Welcome Back," anyway. :hi:

Oh, and Sparkly wants us to get you to stop smoking. :)

[theboss]

3. This "punitive damages" issue ultimately needs to be worked out by state legislators

Though I may disagree with this, because the jury should have the final say on damages not the judges.

I dunno...I'm torn on this one.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

4. FOX owner Rupert Murdoch is on the Board of Directors of Philip Morris.

Here's a June 2005 article titled “Bush Administration Lets Big Tobacco off the Hook Despite Killing Millions of Americans”, it’s subtitled “Tobacco Escapes Huge Penalty U.S. Seeks $10 Billion Instead of $130 Billion”.


http://www.organicconsumers.org/Politics/tobacco060905.cfm


...I'm sure these court rulings will make FOX even more off-balanced.

(Husb2Sparkly...what are you doing smoking? You have love ones who need you.) :)

[frankenforpres]

5. Good for the SC! n/t

[dionysus]

6. yay!!! big tobacco got off scot free (again)!!!! wooohoooo!!

nominated for stupidest post of the day

[frankenforpres]

7. i dont support gov extortion

of an industry they enabled. the gov should either ban smoking or stop being hypocrites.