Tobacco Documents Online

Fax:3511 3:38 P.16 Rug 26 '96 HOLSTOPr CHRONICL~ AN G.">: t5A S • Jndustry is cleared in smoker's death O&V INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -A jury Friday found ci arette com nies not responsib e or a smo er s can- cer death, a break for th tobacco ~ utdus whichiost a similar lawsuit ~s mon and faces new federal regulations. I Atter 16 hours of deGberafions, the state courtjury rejected claims from the widow of Richard Rogers that the companies were to blame for his lifetime of smoldng that began at age 5 and ended with his death in 1987 at 52. The suit, which had sought at least $424,000, claimed that Rogets, a lawyer, was addicted to cigarettes and that s ryoldng ~ f caused his IunQ cancer.~f ob ceo lawyers aa-id-~~ oS gers chose to smoke, despite warnings of the po- tential risks. The Rogers verdict, coming on a day when President Clinton im- posed historic limits on the market- ing of cigarettes to children, took on extreme importance as the industry wondered whether the tide of opin- ion in America's courtroomu has turned against it. Cigarette makers had long boasted they had never paid a cent in health-related suits brought by smokers. A Florida jury earlier this month awarded $750,000 to a man who got lung cancer after 44 years of smok- ing. It was only the second rime a jury has ruled against lhe industry. The first verdict was mertuwed on appeal. N O V -4 A g.- •