Robert W. Kelley (Florida Attorney)
Robert W. Kelley is a Florida-based attorney who successfully represented plaintiff Cindy Naugle in Naugle v. Philip Morris USA, Inc in the largest tobacco verdict in US legal history.[1] In the same year (2009) he was nominated for lawyer of the year.[2][3]
Career[edit]
In 1998, Kelly was interviewed on popular American TV show 60 Minutes, following trial victory against General Motors. The case, McGee vs General Motors Corp ended with a $60 million verdict in favour of his clients, Robert and Connie Mcgee.
In 2009, Kelly obtained one of the largest ever verdicts against a tobacco company.[4] A jury ordered Philip Morris (Benson and Hedges) to pay $56.6 million in compensatory damages and $244 million in punitive damages to his client Cindy Naugle,[5] who was suffering from emphysema caused by smoking.[6] The case garnered attention nationally and internationally, with The New York times reporting:
"If it survives an appeal, the verdict late Thursday would be the nation’s largest award of damages to an individual suing a tobacco company and could encourage thousands of plaintiffs who have filed similar cases in Florida, according to Clifford E. Douglas of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network."[6]
In 2013, Kelley secured a settlement in a malpractice case over the death of his own father, a prominent civic leader from Broward County. The judge found that the North Broward Hospital District had "provided intentionally misleading testimony," and the defendant was made to pay opposing attorney's fees, in addition to an undisclosed settlement.[7]
In the same year he obtained a $38.5 million verdict on behalf of Dale Whyte, who was left in a vegetative state following a faulty medical procedure.[8] The defeated defendants were the two doctors in charge of the procedure which took place at the Atlantic Surgical Centre in Pompano Beach.[8]
Other work[edit]
Kelley is a licensed United States Coast Guard Captain. After working on fishing boats through law school, he continued to be involved with marine activities and organizations. He is certified by PADI as a Rescue Diver and Dive Master. He is also the founder of The Dive Bar,[3] an association that brings together SCUBA certified attorneys who help to preserve coral reefs and marine ecosystems around the coasts of Florida and the Bahamas. The organisation also pairs war veterans with expert divers to carry out coral reef restoration projects.[9]
References[edit]
- ↑ Stephenson, Correy (2009). "Florida attorney Robert W. Kelley: Record-setting tobacco verdict". Lawyers USA. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ↑ Rebello, Justin (2009). "Lawyers USA selects Lawyers of the Year 2009". Lawyers USA. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Robert W. Kelley". Lifestyle Magazine FL. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ "Smoker in Florida awarded $300m damages against Philip Morris". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ "Where are they now? Top verdicts of 2009 > Detroit Legal News". www.legalnews.com. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wilson, Duff. "Florida Jury Orders Philip Morris to Pay $300 million to Ex-Smoker". Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ "Jury hits 2 doctors with $38.5M in medical negligence verdict | South Florida Times". www.sfltimes.com. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Robert Kelley: Son wins lawsuit against Broward Health over father's death". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ↑ "DiveBar assists veterans". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
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