Big tobacco Engle progeny streak of recent wins ended with Webb.

This case was originally tried in August to a jury that deadlocked. On retrial, the jury found that even though a cigarette addiction was the legal cause of the plaintiff's COPD, she should have known before May 5, 1990, (four years prior to the filing of the initial Engle case) that the defendants had caused her injury. Thus, Florida's Statute of Limitations precluded personal injury or products liability claims.

Case Law Alert - 1st Qtr 2011