Tallahasse, Fla. ? The Florida Supreme Court lifted a huge burden from U.S. tobacco companies Thursday when it threw out a record $145 billion punitive damage award against them even though it agreed the companies had misled smokers about the dangers of lighting up.

The court also ruled that individual smokers could sue the companies – and gave plaintiffs a potent legal weapon by upholding the trial jury’s finding that the companies had negligently misled the public about the dangers and addictive nature of cigarettes.

The court, which deemed the July 2000 award excessive, also approved an appellate court ruling that it had been a mistake to certify the lawsuit as a class-action representing an estimated 300,000 to 700,000 Floridians made ill by smoking.

The class-action trial lasted for two years, but the seven jurors deliberated less than five hours to reach the $145 billion verdict in 2000.