Every business has to be concerned about civil liability. Every business owes a duty of care to persons who come on the business property. The burden is especially high for mine operators because there are so many contractors and customer truckers who visit mine sites. Every such person is a potential plaintiff if that person is injured at the mine. If a company is sued, jury verdicts are not readily predictable, but they can be very large. Last February, I reported on the "Top Ten Jury Awards" in favor of individual plaintiffs in the United States. The largest award was 3 billion dollars. It was issued in a product liability action in California against Philips Morris. This year the largest award once again came from California and once again was against Philip Morris. However, the 28 billion dollars award was reduced by the trial judge to 28 million dollars. The plaintiffs have appealed.
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