Smokers Have Until Jan. 11, 2008 to File Suit

Courtney Mills

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The deadline to file suit is getting closer for plaintiffs who suffered from illnesses related to smoking. Last year the Florida Supreme Court overturned a class action civil damage award of $145 billion spread among 700,000 decided in 2000, requiring instead that each smoker show that cigarettes caused the damages. Although the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to plaintiffs by overturning the award and decertifying the class, the court opened the door for plaintiffs to sue as individuals.

According to the Miami Herald, about 50 suits had been filed in Broward Circuit Court and 66 in Miami-Dade Circuit Court as of last week. (The Miami-Dade figure came from a list of product-liability lawsuits filed against tobacco companies this year.)

Potential plaintiffs have until January 11 of next year, which is when the deadline runs.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.