Williams v. Philip Morris Inc.

This tort case arose out of the death of Jesse Williams, a smoker, who died of lung cancer. Plaintiff Mayóla Williams is the widow of Jesse Williams and personal representative of his estate. Plaintiff sued defendant Philip Morris Inc. for, inter alia, negligence and fraud, asserting a causal connection between Jesse Williams’s smoking habit and his death. A jury found for plaintiff on both causes of action. The jury awarded both economic and noneconomic damages; it also awarded plaintiff punitive damages of $79.5 million. The issue before us is whether that punitive damage award violates the…