A cigarette company in America has been ordered by the court to pay compensation amounting to around £13.8 billion to a widow after her husband, who was a smoker, died of lung cancer, reports the BBC.
In addition to the award of punitive damages, she has also been awarded compensatory damages of £9.8 million.
Cynthia Robinson claimed that the company had been negligent by failing to properly inform customers about the risks associated with smoking tobacco.
As a result of this negligence, she said, her husband had become addicted and was unable to stop smoking, despite trying on a number of occasions. He died in 1996 and his widow began her legal action in 2008.
The company intends to appeal against the decision, the BBC reports.
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