Woman wins $23 bn from tobacco company(N.America)
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A court in the USA has ordered the tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds to pay a woman $23.6 billion in damages. Cynthia Robinson filed a lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds in 2008 and fought for six years for compensation. Her husband Michael died of lung cancer in 1996 after two decades of smoking. He started smoking when he was 13 and died when he was 36. Mrs Robinson argued that the company was negligent in not informing her husband that nicotine is addictive and that smoking can lead to lung cancer. She said tobacco companies knew in the 1950s that smoking was potentially lethal and should have been more active in telling people. Johnson's lawyer said: "He couldn't quit. He was smoking the day he died."
A lawyer for R.J. Reynolds, America's second-largest tobacco company, said the compensation was disproportionate. He said: "The damages awarded in this case are grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law." He added: "This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented." Mrs Robinson's lawyer Chris Chestnut said jurors looked at R.J. Reynolds' aggressive marketing, particularly campaigns aimed at young people. He said: "[R.J. Reynolds] lied to Congress, they lied to the public, they lied to smokers and tried to blame the smoker." He added that the jury's decision was "courageous".
1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a.The court case took place in the USA.T / F
b.The court case was first filed in 2008.T / F
c.A woman's husband died after more than 30 years of smoking.T / F
d.Tobacco companies didn't know smoking could kill until the 1960s.T / F
e.The tobacco company is the second-largest in the USA.T / F
f.The tobacco company's lawyers said the damages award is too high.T / F
g.Jurors looked at marketing campaigns aimed at children.T / F
h.A lawyer said smokers lied to the tobacco company.T / F
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.Exactly how much was the woman awarded?
2.When did Cynthia Robinson first file her law case?
3.How old was Mrs Robinson's husband when he died?
4.What did tobacco companies know about smoking in the 1950s?
5.Until when did Michael Robinson continue to smoke?
6.How large is R.J. Reynolds?
7.What did R.J. Reynolds lawyers say was "grossly excessive"?
8.What did lawyers say the damages are inconsistent with?
9.Who were the marketing campaigns jurors looked at aimed at?
10.What did Mrs Robinson's lawyer call the jury's decision?
答案
TRUE / FALSE
a T b T c F d F e F f T g T h F
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.$23.6 billion
2.2008
3.36
4.It was potentially lethal
5.Until the day he died
6.The second-largest tobacco company in the USA
7.The damages
8.Evidence
9.Children
10.Courageous
