The American tobacco company, Philip Morris, says that it will appeal against an award of more than three billion dollars in damages. A Los Angeles court made the award, most of which was in punitive damages, to a smoker who has incurable lung and brain cancer. It is the largest individual award of its type ever made against a cigarette manufacturer.
Richard Boeken, who is 56, began smoking when he was 13. He claimed that the company failed to warn him that the habit could damage his health. Philip Morris's lawyers said that Mr Boeken knew of the risk, but continued to smoke forty cigarettes a day.
