A $145 billion verdict and a “roar of moral outrage”
BMJ 2000; 321 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7257.322/e (Published 05 August 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;321:322BEFORE TOBACCO LITIGATION
RD: Before you took on the Broin and Engle tobacco cases, what were you doing?
SR: Well, broadly speaking, I was a trial lawyer in the personal injury field, handling serious cases of massive personal injury or wrongful death, primarily in the field of product liability and medical malpractice.
THE BROIN CASE
RD: How did you first get involved in tobacco litigation? Was the Broin case [on behalf of flight attendants harmed by secondhand smoke] first?
SR: Right, that was first, when Norma Broin came to see me. We didn't turn her down, but [my wife and legal partner] Susan advised me not to get involved. Lawyers I talked to advised me not to get involved because it's a bottomless pit, and no one had ever won against the tobacco companies, and it was just crazy to …
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