Lyantie Townsend v. R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Respondent

Summary

The Court held that the statutory interest rate in effect when Townsend obtained her judgment remained fixed for the judgment’s life, so the 2011 amendment providing for annual adjustments did not apply. Because the fixed-rate right was substantive and vested when the judgment was obtained, retroactive application of the amendment would violate due process. Justice Polston, dissenting, would have approved the First District’s decision for the reasons stated below.