A Marine veteran who got free cigarettes in boot camp in 1942 and had his cancerous bladder removed 52 years later has won a $4.3 million verdict against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.

Jurors in Judge Michael Genden’s courtroom Friday awarded $7.8 million for pain and suffering but said Ralph Ballard, a Homestead native, was 45 percent responsible for his bladder cancer. They decided Ballard’s wife should be paid $750,000 for the loss of her husband’s comfort and attention.