Update at 5:01 p.m.:
The lead lawyer in the lawsuit says he'll try the case again. Attorney Stephen Swedlow says he'll take the case to trial again. The jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of the plaintiffs, and Swedlow points out it only takes nine jurors to return a civil verdict in Missouri. He says he'll work harder to convince a ninth juror in the retrial.
Original Story:
A mistrial has been declared in a $700 million lawsuit against Philip Morris in a case heard in St. Louis, after jurors could not agree on a verdict.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that jurors deliberated into a fifth day but could not reach a consensus in the class action lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleged that smokers were led to believe light cigarettes were a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, but in reality were not.
