If there was one thing that tort reform supporters wanted when legislation was proposed, it was that jury awards be in line with “reality.” This essentially meant that personal injury plaintiffs could not receive huge windfalls that would bankrupt a company or affect an entire industry because of the fear of blockbuster verdicts.
For over a decade, tort reform basically did what reformers promised. Multi-million dollar jury awards were few and far between. But last year, it appears that these verdicts came back. For instance, a man who developed cancer as a result of a diabetes medicine passed away; and the family was awarded $9 billion (yes, billion) in damages. Another case where a 36 year man passed away after years of smoking tobacco, the surviving family was awarded, $23.6 billion.