Usa Vs Williams

In Philip Morris, USA v. Williams was a case about a widow who was married to Jesse Williams who died of lung cancer (smoking related) in 1997 and sued the cigaratte manufacture for false advertising (fraud) based on their advertisements and sponsored studies that made cigarettes seem less dangerous than they actually were. At trial, the jury decided for Williams and awarded over 800 thousand dollars in compensatory damages and 79.5 million dollars in punitive damages. Later, the Supreme Court said that under BMW v. Gore, punitive damages must be reasonably related to the harm done to the plaintiff, but larger punitive damage awards may be appropriate if the defendant displayed reprehensible conduct. Citing Gore, the Oregon Court of Appeals