Miami Doctor in $145 Billion Florida Class Action Tobacco Lawsuit Dies
Florida pediatrician Howard Engle ran a successful medical practice for decades in Miami Beach. He was also a lifelong smoker who reportedly tried to quit multiple times. Lawyers determined that his trying and failing to kick the habit made him a good candidate to lead a class-action lawsuit.
As the lead plaintiff in what become known as the "sick smokers of Florida" lawsuit, Dr. Engle made history in 2000 when a Miami jury awarded $145 billion in punitive damages against the tobacco companies. Engle died July 22 in his Miami Beach home at age 89 from smoking-related respiratory ailments, according to news reports. He was finally able to quit last fall and had been receiving hospice care, his family stated.
Engle's class-action claim against the tobacco companies made legal history due to the size of the multi-billion-dollar award. The verdict was later overturned and made null by the Florida Supreme Court, which determined the award to be excessive and ruled that thousands of smokers covered by the case must prove their damages on an individual basis. Those personal injury cases are currently being tried across the state of Florida.
An experienced Florida injury attorney may be consulted by individuals and families who believe they have suffered medical problems or lost a family member due to product liability or defective products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 443,000 deaths in the U.S. every year are linked to smoking-related diseases.
For years cigarettes have been the focus of product liability complaints and lawsuits, including people seeking damages for ailments caused by second-hand smoke. Other cigarette lawsuits are in progress in U.S. and Canadian courts -- in some cases attempting to hold tobacco companies accountable for "inappropriate marketing" that misleads consumers about the risks. Dr. Engle reportedly told the press that he started smoking as a medical student to mask the smell of the cadavers they used to learn anatomy. He also stated that as a young man in the 1940s, he received cigarettes from representatives of major tobacco companies handing out free samples on the streets.
Howard Engle, who led historic class-action tobacco lawsuit in Miami, dies at 89
SunSentinel.com July 26, 2009
Howard Engle dies at 89; lifelong smoker filed landmark suit against tobacco companies
Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2009
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