Fla. Supreme Court Upholds Tobacco Verdict

Florida’s Supreme Court won’t revisit a $750,000 judgment against British American Tobacco’s Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. unit won by a smoker who developed cancer. In a one-page ruling, Florida’s high court denied Brown & Williamson’s request for a new hearing. Woody Wilner, Grady Carter’s attorney, said he has not received payment from the company and will attempt to freeze its assets until he is paid. The judgment is smaller than three other multimillion-dollar verdicts that individuals have won against the tobacco industry. Still, as Carter’s case has survived an appeal to a state high court, he has come closer than others to collecting. Representatives from Louisville, Ky.-based Brown & Williamson couldn’t be reached for comment. British American, the world’s second-largest tobacco company, sells more than 240 brand names.