From left to right, Schlesinger Law attorneys Brittany Barron, Jonathan Gdanski, plaintiff Bryan Rintoul, Scott Schlesinger and Steven J. Hammer. Courtesy photo.
Fort Lauderdale attorneys Scott Schlesinger, Jonathan Gdanski and Steven J. Hammer of the Schlesinger Law Offices obtained a stinging $157 million jury verdict against tobacco giants Philip Morris USA Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in a case that could transform tobacco litigation for same-sex couples across Florida.
Plaintiff Bryan Rintoul brought the wrongful death suit on behalf of his husband Edward Caprio, who died at 74 in 2018. Formerly a Delray Beach bookkeeper, Caprio was diagnosed in 1996 with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which slowly destroys lung tissue. He later contracted lung cancer and had two-thirds of one lung removed.
