The final whistle for Scruggs

Richard 'Dickie' Scruggs, the King of Torts and the ultimate ambulance-chasing lawyer, is going to jail. The "hoorays" are echoing through the corridors of Corporate America.

Scruggs is the most famous of the lawyers who sue companies for the damage they do to their customers. His first multi-million dollar fortune came from asbestos manufacturers who killed the shipyard workers who handled their product.

But his legendary hit came against Big Tobacco in the 1990s. He scored $250bn, not for smokers responsible for their own demise, but for health authorities who had picked up the medical bills. His share of the 'contingency fees'? A billion. For a bonus he was portrayed in the heroic lawyer's role in The