• Judge allows widow’s wrongful-death suit
• Frightened cook to get $3.8 million
• Defendants want menthol-tobacco case thrown out

Judge allows widow’s wrongful-death suit    (Return to index)

A federal judge in New Jersey ruled recently that the widow of a man who died of AIDS from a tainted blood transfusion can claim damages under the state’s wrongful death statute, even though her husband was awarded damages for personal injury before his death. A jury awarded William Snyder $405,000 in his suit against American Association of Blood Banks, but U.S. District Judge John Bissell determined that it was unlikely the panel considered Roslyn Snyder’s future loss of companionship. For more details, see the story in the March 8, 1999, New Jersey Law Journal.

Frightened cook to get $3.8 million    (Return to index)

A chef who claimed propane phobia kept him from pursuing his livelihood after an explosion has won $3.8 million in a lawsuit against a propane supplier. There were no serious injuries, but the elegant Balsam House Inn and Restaurant in Chestertown, N.Y., was nearly demolished when gas fumes ignited in the kitchen. A federal jury in Albany also awarded the inn’s owner more than $3 million after finding the gas company liable. For further details, see the story in the March 9, 1999, issue of the Albany Times Union.

Defendants want menthol-tobacco case thrown out    (Return to index)

Lawyers for Philip Morris Inc. and other defendants in a federal class-action lawsuit have asked a judge to dismiss the case, which claims the tobacco industry targeted menthol-cigarette advertising at African-Americans. The plaintiffs claim menthol smokes are more harmful than non-mentholated brands, and the marketing campaign therefore violated their civil rights. They want menthol smokes banned as a defective product. For more information, see stories in the April 8, 1999, edition of The Legal Intelligencer and the Spring 1999 edition of this newsletter.