In a significant defeat for tobacco maker Philip Morris, the U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed the company's appeal of a $79.5-million punitive-damages award in a closely watched Oregon wrongful-death case.

Dow Jones reported March 31 that the high court dismissed the case without comment after having sent the case back to the Oregon Supreme Court for review twice previously.

The U.S. Supreme Court had directed the state court to bring the award in line with standards on punitive-damages awards, and the latest appeal centered on the question of whether the Oregon court had ignored that directive.

An Oregon jury ruled against Philip Morris in a sick-smoker case in 1999, and the case has been on appeal ever since.