A forensic pathologist testified Thursday in a wrongful death lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. that he was certain “beyond a reasonable doubt” that smoker Jean Connor died of lung cancer caused by smoking.
Dr. Victor Roggli of Duke University took the stand in Jacksonville, Fla., as the second expert witness called by lawyers for Dana Raulerson, who sued Reynolds on behalf of the estate of her sister, Connor, and her family.
Connor began smoking as a teenager and died of cancer in Oct. 1995 at age 49.
Roggli said he was able to go beyond the normal legal standard for U.S. civil court cases, “by a preponderance of the evidence,” and state “beyond a reasonable doubt” — the standard used in criminal cases — that Connor was killed by lung cancer caused by smoking.
“This is about as certain as you can get in pathology, 95, 98 percent certain,” Roggli said.
Roggli said he had examined slides of tissues taken from Connor’s body which showed conclusively that she had died of cancer and that the cancer had started in her lungs.
Lawyers for Reynolds, a unit of RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp., have questioned whether Connor’s cancer began in her lungs and whether it was connected to smoking.
