J. Steele Olmstead, P.A.
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Why Tobacco Companies and Other Companies Are Punished for Lies They Tell Us.

Recently, the conservative Fifth District Court of Appeals based in Orlando, Florida, ruled a $16,000,000 punitive damages award is not excessive against R.J. Reynolds tobacco company. Many of you might say: “wow that is a lot of money.” However, you should know that tobacco company, after lying for 60 years to the American public, only wanted the repayment to the smoker’s children to be the same amount as the reimbursement for the medical bills and funeral costs for the loss of their mother.

The plaintiff’s counsel asked for $10,000,000. The jury disagreed with both lawyers and told R.J. Reynolds to repay the family the 16 million dollars for what it took by lying about the danger of its products. The tobacco company appeal the award to avoid it’s personal responsibility as determined by a jury. Now, before we go on, please keep in mind, the insurance company for R.J. Reynolds had hired lawyers, good lawyer, really, really good and expensive lawyers from the law firms that represent all the big Wall Street Businesses. The creme-de-la creme’. So, the tobacco company was not a helpless defendant in this case. The lawyers for the plaintiff, some friends of mine, fought long and hard. I heard about it as it progressed. It was a full and hard fight, there was no “out of control jury” here. The appellate court stated:

“The evidence at trial demonstrated significant reprehensibility by Reynolds in designing its cigarettes. It used a tobacco curing process designed to make the smoke “smoother” and manipulated the levels of nicotine and other additives to make its product easily inhalable, and thus, addictive. Too, its advertising efforts, particularly those advertisements produced in the early years of [the deceased mother]’s addiction, were intended to entice young people to begin smoking and to suggest, if not convince, consumers that smoking was safe, or reasonably so. But it was well established that the inhalation of cigarette smoke is not safe. [The mother] paid the price for her addiction. The jury determined that Reynolds must also pay its price.”

I say “out of control jury” to point out some words you have heard before. You’ve heard those because there’s American Tort Reform institute, and other front groups that are defined as “an organization that purports to represent one agenda while in reality it serves some other party or interest whose sponsorship is hidden or rarely mentioned.” (https://tinyurl.com/y5jh7ddu) The tobacco industry has a long history of using front groups which often have had hidden links to the tobacco industry. Sometimes they start them, other times their public relation company’s starts them. These “front groups” are also called “astro-turf” group because they imitate ‘grass-roots” groups of citizens who band together to support or oppose something. That’s why these fake groups are often named “Citizens for [fill in blank].” Hilariously, one of the tobacco’s front groups is called “Citizens for Tort Reform” despite having no citizens involved in the running or funding of the group. Other names are equally deceptive and offensive, such as: “”Parents for Priorities” or “The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC), formed by Philip Morris in 1993 or the silly “Citizens for Tobacco Rights.”

Corporations were first created to shield the assets of the owners. Now, they exist to lie.

This is the kind of corporate behavior that we see when corporations are focused only on profit and not public safety. They do not want to be held “personally responsible” for the damage they cause to one person’s life and their family or a whole class of people and their families. This is the kind of “reprehensible” behavior we see by insurance companies and the lawyers who hire them.

To fight this, you need a lawyer who has experience, persistence, tenacity and the will to win.

Stop clicking now if you are injured and searching for an attorney.

I am a full-service, personalized, personal injury lawyer with 35 years of experience to put to work for you. I handle cases in all 67 Florida counties.

Call me with questions about your injury: 1-800 – 535 – 3002. Email: JSteele@JSteelelaw.com  Skype: ScienceCan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JSteeleLaw/  Twitter: @JSteeleOlmstead or @FlaBicyleLawyr Whatsapp: J. Steele Olmstead Instagram: jsteeleolmstead.

© 2020 J. Steele Olmstead, P. A., All rights Reserved

lyining corporations, tobacco damages

Contact J. Steele Olmstead

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Concussions • Dazed • Knocked Unconscious

When the human brain is damaged by any force from a fall, a bicycle or motor vehicle crash, life is changed.

I can help you.

ANY injury to the brain, no matter how mild, is called traumatic brain injury (TBI). A concussion is a brain injury.

Continue reading . . .

Contact J. Steele Olmstead

  • (813) 727-0257 cell/text
  • (813) 979-4949
  • (727) 570-8020
  • (352) 688-3777

Statewide toll-free:

  • (800) 535-3002
  • Email
  • Contact Us
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Billboard/TV lawyers mishandling your personal injury case

Insurance companies know that Billboard/TV lawyers simply don’t have enough lawyers to prepare, review, work up and take all of their client’s cases to trial. Insurance companies therefore almost always settle their cases with Billboard/TV lawyers for what the insurance company wants to pay, not what the case is worth. Billboard/TV lawyers are simply high-volume “mills” for low-value settlements.

Lawyers, like any professionals, can severely affect your life. A bad medical doctor can cripple you. A bad accountant can take your all your money. A bad architect or engineer can design a building that collapses killing everyone.

Why would you get such a professional from a billboard or a television ad?

If you (or someone you know) made the mistake of hiring a billboard/t.v. lawyer and that lawyer pressured you to settle your case for less than what it should have received, call me.

Contact J. Steele Olmstead

  • (813) 727-0257 cell/text
  • (813) 979-4949
  • (727) 570-8020
  • (352) 688-3777

Statewide toll-free:

  • (800) 535-3002
  • Email
  • Contact Us
    • Tumblr
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin
    • Rss

Brain Injury Danger Signs

Danger Signs in Adults

In rare cases, a dangerous blood clot may form on the brain in a person with a concussion and crowd the brain against the skull. Contact your health care professional or hospital emergency department right away if you or someone close to you has any of the following danger signs after any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body: [icon_list icon="exclamation-triangle" color="#ab4100"]
  • A headache that gets worse and does not go away.
  • Weakness, numbness or decreased coordination.
  • Repeated vomiting or nausea.
  • Slurred speech.
[/icon_list] The people checking on the injured person should take them immediately to the hospital Emergency if the injured person: [icon_list icon="exclamation-triangle" color="#ab4100"]
  • has one pupil (the black part in the middle of the eye) larger than the other.
  • has convulsions or seizures.
  • cannot recognize people or places.
  • is getting more and more confused, restless, or agitated.
  • has any unusual behavior.
  • loses consciousness (even a brief loss of consciousness should be taken seriously and the person should be carefully monitored).
[/icon_list]

Danger Signs in Children

Take your child to the hospital emergency department immediately if they received a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, and: [icon_list icon="exclamation-triangle" color="#ab4100"]
  • have any of the danger signs for adults listed above.
  • will not stop crying and cannot be consoled.
  • will not nurse or eat.
[/icon_list]

For more information

  • Signs and Symptoms Checklist
  • Fact Sheet on Children and Toddlers
  • Facts for Physicians (pdf)
    — U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC)
  • Facts about Concussion (pdf)
    — U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Billboard/TV lawyers mishandling your personal injury case

Insurance companies know that Billboard/TV lawyers simply don’t have enough lawyers to prepare, review, work up and take all of their client’s cases to trial. Insurance companies therefore almost always settle their cases with Billboard/TV lawyers for what the insurance company wants to pay, not what the case is worth. Billboard/TV lawyers are simply high-volume “mills” for low-value settlements.

Lawyers, like any professionals, can severely affect your life. A bad medical doctor can cripple you. A bad accountant can take your all your money. A bad architect or engineer can design a building that collapses killing everyone.

Why would you get such a professional from a billboard or a television ad?

If you (or someone you know) made the mistake of hiring a billboard/t.v. lawyer and that lawyer pressured you to settle your case for less than what it should have received, call me.

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