Mary E. Sheffield, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Supreme Court of Florida ____________ No. SC19-601 ____________ MARY E. SHEFFIELD, etc., Petitioner, vs. R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, Respondent. November 18, 2021 CANADY, C.J. This case presents a question concerning the application of a statutory provision enacted to impose certain limitations on the award of punitive damages. In 1999, as part of a broader tort reform act, the Legislature amended section 768.73, Florida Statutes, to among other things presumptively preclude an award of punitive damages against a defendant in a civil action if “punitive damages have previously been awarded…