On this day, March 30, 1999 a jury in Oregon hit Philip Morris with an $81 million verdict for damages in the lung cancer death of Jesse Williams who died of lung cancer after smoking Marlboros for four decades. $821,000 was for compensatory damages and the rest for punitive damages. The Supreme Court threw out the verdict in October 2003, saying it should be reviewed by lower courts to ensure it was not unconstitutionally excessive. In 2007 the Supreme Court rejected the original $79.5 million punitive payout, but declined to lay down numerical limits for such damages. By 2008 damages due to interest reached $143 million. In 2009 the Supreme Court decided not to hear a challenge by Philip Morris.
He takes over a party focused on winning
State Senator Dallas Heard (R-Winston) was elected chair of the Oregon Republican Party by a vote of 74 to 52 at a biennial convention of the ORP in which elections of officers is held.
In his acceptance speech, Heard said, “Now the real work begins for me. And for you. Hold me accountable.†Heard, age 36, will be the face of a party that is seeking to attract younger voters.
Outgoing Chair Bill Currier graciously stepped down. "I wouldn't do anything differently."
Former State Senator Herman Baertschigger was elected vice-chair.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-02-20 12:21:07 | Last Update: 2021-02-20 14:42:47 |
