R.J. Reynolds Obtains Reversal of $15.5M Judgment

The Florida First District Court of Appeal recently reversed a substantial $15,500,000 judgment against King & Spalding’s client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Over Reynolds’s objection at trial, the lower court refused to instruct jurors that the plaintiff had to prove her husband’s reliance on tobacco company statements to prevail on her claims for conspiracy based on fraudulent concealment.  Consistent with King & Spalding’s briefing on appeal, however, the First District’s January 15, 2021 decision held that the trial court’s refusal to give this reliance instruction went against binding precedent and affected the outcome of the case.  The First District therefore vacated the judgment in favor of plaintiff in its entirety and reversed for a new trial on all issues.