Tobacco

Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 438,000 American lives each year. This also includes those affected indirectly, such as babies born prematurely due to prenatal maternal smoking and some of the victims of "secondhand" exposure to tobacco's carcinogens. Smoking kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and fires combined. Click on Health Affects of Tobacco, to learn more about this issue.

The cigarette industry had steadfastly denied for decades that smoking causes cancer and other diseases, and that it is addictive. For the first 42 years of litigation, from 1954 to 1996, the industry never paid a penny to its victims. It did this through litigation tactics that made the cases prohibitively expensive for plaintiffs and their attorneys. The industry's record against litigation broke in 1996 when Brooke Group Ltd, parent of Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, settled with several states which had brought claims against it. The company agreed to pay monetary damages, add meaningful warnings on cigarette packages, and provide testimony and documents about industry misconduct in pending cases against its competitors. The remainder of the American tobacco industry rushed to the settlement table with the states' attorneys, class action attorneys, and one public health advocate (later two), reaching an agreement in June 1997. Click on Terms of The Multistate Tobacco Settlement, to learn more about this issue.

Litigation today is moving forward on several fronts in the form of individual cases, class actions, second-hand smoke lawsuits, and third party reimbursement actions. Possible bases of liability against tobacco companies include strict liability, negligence, fraud, fraudulent concealment, conspiracy to commit fraud and fraudulent concealment, and breach of implied warranty. Click on Tobacco Lawsuits, to learn more about this issue.

If you or a loved one is a victim of a tobacco related injury, call The Gunn Law Group now at (813) 228-7070 or CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A CASE FORM. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to accept your case, we will work on a contingent fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds. Don't delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.

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The Gunn Law Group handles cases involving Insurance Claims, Homeowners Insurance, Property Insurance Coverage and Disputes, Insurance Bad Faith, Hurricane Insurance Claims, as well as the most serious of Personal Injury such as: Automobile Accidents, Spinal Cord Injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability and Wrongful Death.

The Gunn Law Group serves the following Florida areas: Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Arcadia, Atlantic Beach, Bartow, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs, Boynton Beach, Bradenton, Brandon, Brooksville, Cape Coral, Casselberry, Clearwater, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Crestview, Crystal River, Dade City, Dania, Daytona Beach, Deerfield Beach, Deland, Delray Beach, Destin, Dunedin, Englewood, Eustis, Fernandina Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Green Cove Springs, Gulf Breeze, Hallandale, Hialeah, Hollywood, Homestead, Hudson, Inverness, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Key Biscayne, Key Largo, Key West, Kissimmee, Lake City, Lake Mary, Lake Wales, Lake Worth, Lakeland, Largo, Leesburg, Live Oak, Longwood, Lutz, Maitland, Marathon, Marco Island, Melbourne, Merritt Island, Miami, Miami Beach, Milton, Mount Dora, Naples, New Port Richey, New Smyrna Beach, Niceville, North Fort Myers, North Miami Beach, North Palm Beach, Ocala, Okeechobee, Orange Park, Orlando, Ormond Beach, Oviedo, Palatka, Palm Bay, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm City, Palm Coast, Palm Harbor, Panama City, Pensacola, Perry, Plant City, Pompano Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Port Charlotte, Port Richey, Port Saint Lucie, Punta Gorda, Quincy, Rockledge, Safety Harbor, Saint Augustine, Saint Petersburg, Sanford, Sanibel, Sarasota, Satellite Beach, Sebring, Seminole, Shalimar, Spring Hill, Stuart, Tallahassee, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, Tavares, Tavernier, Titusville, Venice, Vero Beach, West Palm Beach, Weston, Winter Haven, Winter Park, Winter Springs

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