Prentice v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
Annotate this Case
The Supreme Court held that an "Engle progeny" plaintiff must prove reliance on a statement that was made by an Engle defendant for a concealment claim or co-conspirator for a conspiracy claim and that concealed or omitted material information about the addictiveness or health effects of smoking cigarettes.
Plaintiff, on behalf of a deceased smoker, brought this wrongful death lawsuit. The jury found that the decedent was a member of the Engle class then found in Plaintiff's favor on her claims for strict liability, negligence, and concealment conspiracy. The court of appeal vacated the judgment, concluding that the trial court's refusal to give Defendant's requested special instruction on reliance was both erroneous and prejudicial. The Supreme Court approved the court of appeal's decision, holding that Defendant's requested jury instruction on concealment conspiracy was correct, and the trial court's instruction was both erroneous and prejudicial.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.