29 Mar 2005
NY Jury Awards $17.1 Million in Sick Smoker Case

Shit like this just annoys me to no end. Assuming that cigarettes were the cause of her cancer, Philip Morris Inc. is not responsible for it: she is. It's her utter and complete failure to accept responsibility for her own actions that annoys me so - there have been warning labels on every pack of smokes she's bought for the last forty freaking years! There have been blaring studies, massive legal campaigns and nearly unending bleating by all and sundry on the dangers of smoking. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, have quit smoking - but not her, oh no, she couldn't do it. She got sick, and it must be the cigarette companies fault. It couldn't possibly be hers ...

It's a trend in our society: don't sue the thug that shot you, sue the gun manufacturer. Don't hold the drunk who ran you over responsible for your injuries: it's gotta be the automakers or the brewers fault! And never, never, never accept the fact that life comes with responsibilities: life is a free ride, don't ya know?

When my three daughters were younger I used to tease them by telling folks I really had four girls: Rhiannon, Courtney, Hilary and She. Because whenever the cookie jar was raided or a vase broken, and Dad wanted to know who was responsible, there was a universal cry of "She did it!" She was continually getting in trouble like that!

You kind of expect that sort of behavior out of kids, but only because you know they'll grow out of it. Or you hope they do. If they don't, lawsuits like this one are the result, and the joke wears thin indeed when the social costs are finally tallied.

Reuters - A New York jury on Monday ordered Philip Morris to pay $17.1 million in punitive damages to a woman who accused the company of failing to warn her about the dangers of smoking, the woman's attorney said on Monday.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

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