Philip Morris Is a Changed Company, Says Defense in Punitive Phase of Tobacco Trial

In openings of the punitive phase of Elaine Jordan’s suit against Philip Morris, the company’s attorney, Walter Cofer, tells jurors that Philip Morris cigarettes are subject to regulation and that the company helps educate the public on the dangers of smoking. Jurors awarded Jordan $7.795 million in compensatory damages and found the tobacco company liable for additional punitive damages in her suit claiming that its concealment of smoking’s hazards led to her lung disease.