# Ct Tosses $145B Award in Tobacco Suit 

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A Florida appeals court has overturned a landmark $145 billion punitive damages judgment against tobacco makers, ruling that the decision was based on an illegal trial plan and that the award would bankrupt the companies.
The court‘s ruling on Wednesday ordered the class of around 500,000 sick Florida smokers decertified. The court said that individual claims of class members that have not been heard can proceed. 

The ruling overturns the 2000 jury verdict in the so-called Engle case, in which tobacco companies were ordered to pay $145 billion to smokers with tobacco-related illnesses. The jury had found that the tobacco industry misled the public about the dangers of smoking. 

The court ruled that the trial court‘s plan to certify the class and hear the lawsuit in three phases "violates Florida law...and is unconstitutional."

Sources:
- Business Insurance (http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=2399)