Ruling means big Mass. tobacco award could double

BOSTON — A Massachusetts judge has ruled that a Boston man who won a lawsuit against a tobacco company for causing the death of his mother can collect the money with interest retroactive to 2004. The decision means the $152 million award could double.

Willie Evans’ mother, Marie, died of lung cancer in 2002 at age 54. He sued in 2004 claiming she started smoking at age 13 after Lorillard Tobacco Co. gave away free cigarettes at the Boston housing project where she lived.

The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/pHGO5F) reports that a Superior Court judge also ruled Thursday that Greensboro, N.C.-based Lorillard violated state consumer protection laws by targeting children.

Lawyers for Lorillard say they did not target children. The company had no comment on Thursday’s decision.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe