Bloomberg Law
March 8, 2016, 6:24 PM UTC

Smoker’s Lawyer Sanctioned for Tobacco Trial Conduct

Bloomberg Law - Staff Reports

By Steven M. Sellers, Bloomberg BNA

A plaintiff’s lawyer must pay $1,500 for his “repeated, willful, and bad faith violation of court orders” in litigation against Philip Morris USA Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for injuries allegedly caused by smoking cigarettes, the Northern District of California ruled March 7.

Attorney Gilbert Purcell disregarded court orders that limited evidence to the lung cancer claims of his client, Nicki Pooshs, in questioning expert witnesses about whether she also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the court said.

Damages claims in the case were limited to lung cancer, according to the decision.

Purcell ...

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