Damages awarded

A Massachusetts jury ordered Philip Morris USA to pay nearly $9.7 million to a smoker suffering from lung cancer, reports Courtroom View Network.

The jury found that Philip Morris’ involvement in a conspiracy to hide the dangers of smoking ultimately led to Patricia Greene’s 2013 illness.

Greene’s attorney had requested more than $29.4 million.

The defense argued that Greene was well aware of the dangers of smoking and actually quit for several months in her early 20s before returning to cigarettes.

But Greene’s attorney, Michael Weisman, highlighted documents he said showed Philip Morris worked with other companies for decades to undercut public health information on the dangers of cigarettes.

“They got together; they formed a conspiracy to deny the health charge,” Weisman said, “even though they knew that smoking was dangerous and nicotine was addictive.”