Legal Opinion
Schwarz v. Philip Morris USA, Inc.
Court of Appeals of Oregon
Decided July 15, 2015No. 000201376; A152354PublishedCited by 2 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtSercombe, P. J.
The issue in this “low tar” tobacco case centers on a jury’s award of punitive damages to plaintiff against defendant Phillip Morris USA, Inc. (Philip Morris). Following a trial in 2002, the jury awarded plaintiff $168,514 in compensatory damages and $150 million in punitive damages.1 However, concluding that the trial court had not properly instructed the jury on the issue of punitive damages, the Oregon Supreme Court remanded the case to the trial court for a new trial limited to the amount of punitive damages. Estate of Michelle Schwarz v. Philip Morris Inc., 348 Or 442, 235 P3d 668…
2Cases cited13 opinions
- BMW of North America, Inc. v. GoreSupreme Court of the United States · 1996
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. CampbellSupreme Court of the United States · 2003
- Philip Morris USA v. WilliamsSupreme Court of the United States · 2007
- Parrott v. Carr Chevrolet, Inc.Oregon Supreme Court · 2001
- Williams v. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.Oregon Supreme Court · 2011
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3Cited by2 opinions
- Brinda Coates, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco CompanySupreme Court of Florida · 2023
- Nettleton v. Exact Sciences CorporationDistrict Court, D. Oregon · 2025