Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here
What Can I Do?


Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP
Continuing Education
Free online courses for addiction counselors LEARN ONLINE
Resources
Resources
Find useful publications, online documents & more.


DrugScreening.org


 

$600 Million to Be Divided Among Florida Smokers, Families
April 22, 2008

Share Share Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
News Summary

Up to 50,000 sick Florida smokers and families of dead smokers will receive the proceeds from a $600-million fund set up by tobacco companies as part of a long-running lawsuit, Business Week reported April 21.

The fund was established during the course of the 14-year-old Engle class-action lawsuit, which ended in 2006 when the Florida Supreme Court threw out a $145-billion damages award. Sick smokers and their families have until June 16 to register for payments from the Engle Trust Fund, named for lead plaintiff Howard Engle. Proof of smoking-related illness will be required from those seeking a payout.

The judge in the case ordered that the money be distributed equally among all sick Florida smokers who became ill prior to Nov. 21, 1996, rather than just the plaintiffs who were party to the case. The judge also awarded $218 million in fees to the attorneys who filed the case, Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt.

In throwing out the class-action lawsuit, the Florida Supreme Court agreed that tobacco companies sold dangerous products and concealed these dangers, and allowed individual lawsuits against tobacco companies to go forward. More than 7,000 such suits have been filed.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by mr. bank on 11 Nov 08 12:06 PM EST
i think they should stick to the ruling and divide the money equaly among the people who got cancer before 1996 and that is it and it should be well over 8400 it should be at least 150,000 or more alot of people suffer for what some poision that is still on the market

Posted by Mary J. McLaughlin on 14 Sep 08 06:05 PM EDT
I question why we allow attorney's to drag out these cases for years? They may be receiving $218 million, but the individuals will be lucky to get a few bucks after taxes are paid. Shame on them.

Posted by alma on 30 Aug 08 10:12 PM EDT
how true,my husbend died from this smoking,he just turned 49,our life just began,we had a hard life raisng 3 children,realy hard and the the kids just moved out and gues what he died,all from smoking,I am still a widow ,that was 16 years ago,that 8,400 wil really help,yeah right about 6 months of food and a little gas,thanks a lot lawyers,a smaller cut would be great,maybe then I can put a few dollors down for a plot for me,

Posted by ann on 01 Jul 08 07:08 PM EDT
The lawyers have already been paid and you do not need a lawyer to put a claim in for part of the fund.If you decide to get one then sure you will have to pay for ti out of the part you get,but like I SAID YOU DO NOT NEED ONE!

Posted by Chris Dickerson, LCSW-C, CAC-AD on 23 Apr 08 09:03 AM EDT
So, after the lawyers take there 30% off the top, $180,000,000, that will leave $420,000,000 to be divided amongst 50,000 people. Do the math, and we have $8400 per person. That's enough for a low end funeral! All is well in the USA.

Your Turn! Post a public comment (read guidelines):

Name:

Comment:
(limit 200
words)

Enter this word
(help):
Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for all, please:

  1. Keep it clean, courteous, and on-topic. Comments are meant for thoughtful discussion of the article published above.

  2. Do not post promotional links to organizations, products or services, or personal requests for assistance (get help).

  3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercially-motivated posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments not conforming to these guidelines. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.