Smokers' Lawsuit Could Put Payments to States at Risk

Washington compost ^ | 5 APR 2003 | Michael D. Shear

[dts32041]

RICHMOND -- An antismoking lawsuit in Illinois threatens to shut off millions of dollars that now flow to Virginia, Maryland and dozens of other states that have come to depend on money from a national settlement they reached with cigarette makers in 1998.

An Illinois judge ruled last month that Philip Morris USA must post a $12 billion bond if it wants to appeal a verdict in a class-action case involving claims that it falsely advertised its light tar cigarettes. The company has said that it wants to appeal the $10.1 billion judgment but that it cannot post the bond as well as deliver its next $2.5 billion payment under the settlement, due April 15.

[dts32041]

Huh, the thevies are getting caught, pubbierats

[Timesink]

God, this is beautiful.

[Smokin' Joe]

Yeah, I doubt any of this settement money has been spent to pay for public health care costs of smokers, which is what it was originally supposed to defray. Can't bash any other minorities in the PC world, so smokers get the hate through transferrence. Can't even light up and ride the bus, much less sit in the back....There's a PhD in shrinkology there somewhere....

[doosee]

The Kremlin itself could have taken lessons on how to destroy free enterprise from most of the American court system. A company publicly advertises that it is going to reduce your TAR and yet still gets sued by idiots. If anyone needed advice that inhaling tar wasnt harmful, then those people probably snack on rat poison.

[Centurion2000]

If anyone needed advice that inhaling tar wasnt harmful, then those people probably snack on rat poison

Well ... LSD has strychnine in it ....

[Col Sanders]

Actually, that is a myth.

Is now, has always been..

[Republic of Texas]

But I was told it wasn't about the money, it was about public health. How could this be? (/faked incredulity)