After a three week hotly contested trial, the Broward County jury returned a verdict in favor of the firm’s clients in the total amount of 8 million dollars. The jury not only found that Philip Morris had been negligent and sold a defective product, but that it intentionally deceived Mr. Hess and conspired with the other tobacco companies to conceal important information from him about the adverse health effects and addictive nature of nicotine. The jury’s verdict included a five million dollar punitive damages award, based upon Philip Morris’ intentional conduct.

The Hess verdict was the first jury verdict of approximately 8,000 lawsuits filed in the state against the tobacco companies arising out of the former “Engle” class action lawsuit. The landmark verdict generated national news, with stories being published in such newspapers as The Wallstreet Journal and The New York Times.

In May of 2009, Mr. Paige and Mr. Trop again teamed up to win a second straight jury verdict against the tobacco industry in the case of Sherman v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. In that case, the firm represented the widow of a 68 year old man who died of lung cancer caused by over fifty years of smoking R.J. Reynolds cigarettes. After a three week trial, the Broward County jury awarded Mrs. Sherman 1.55 million dollars. The jury found that R.J. Reynolds intentionally conspired with the other major tobacco corporations to deceive Mr. Sherman for decades about the addictive nature and adverse health effects of its cigarettes. The Sherman case was the State's second "Engle" verdict in favor of a Plaintiff.

Paige, Trop & Ameen is dedicated to protecting the rights of its clients against the reckless – and often calculated – actions of large corporations. Whether it be an accident case against an insurance company, a hospital malpractice claim, or an injury caused by a defective product, the firm will continue to zealously represent its clients’ interests – without regard for the size or financial resources of the Defendant.