Smoker's Case Against Tobacco Co. Opens as Rare In-Person Jury Trial in Oregon, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The case, a smoker’s lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., is the first jury trial to occur at a new courthouse in Multnomah County Circuit Court. It is among the rare civil trials attempting to occur in person during the pandemic; a separate in-person bench trial in Los Angeles concluded Wednesday with a $23.7 million verdict.