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| Business Words in the News
Friday 10 August 2001
Vocabulary from the business news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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Court reduces smoking damages award
Summary: A judge in California has reduced a record damages award against the Philip Morris tobacco company, which was sued by a smoker who developed lung cancer. This report from David Willis.
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| | The News | |
| | | The case against Philip Morris was brought by 56-year old Richard Boeken, who started smoking at the age of 13. For more than 40 years, he smoked at least two packets of Marlboro cigarettes a day, before being diagnosed with lung cancer. Mr Boeken claimed in his lawsuit that he was the victim of a campaign by the tobacco industry to portray smoking as sophisticated, whilst at the same time concealing its dangers, and two months ago, a jury in Los Angeles found the Philip Morris corporationliable for concealing the health dangers of cigarettes. Mr Boeken was awarded five and a half million dollars in compensatory damages and three billion dollars in punitive damages, the largest award in an individual lawsuit against a tobacco company. Fearing that it would prompt a slew of similar lawsuits, Philip Morris appealed to the superior court ,where a judge agreed to reduce the award, provided Mr Boeken agrees to that. If he refuses to accept a lesser award, the judge said there will have to be a new trial to resolve the matter.
DAVID WILLIS, BBC NEWS, LOS ANGELES
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| | The Words
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| | | lawsuit
a case in a court of law between two parties, not a case involving criminals and the police.
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| | | to portray
to show, to give the impression.
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| | | corporation
a very large company.
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| | | liable
legally responsible.
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| | | compensatory damages
money paid by a person or an organisation to someone who, in the opinion of the court, has lost something or been badly treated.
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| | | punitive damages
money paid by a person or an organisation to someone as punishment for having done something wrong.
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| | | prompt
make someone decide to do something.
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| | | slew
a large number.
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