A federal judge in Washington ruled Thursday that major tobacco companies knowingly concealed and distorted evidence of smoking's deadly risks for decades, delivering a landmark legal defeat to the industry after a two-year trial. Judge Gladys Kessler found the companies had engaged in a conspiracy to mislead the public about the dangers of cigarettes.
Defendants included Altria (parent of Philip Morris), American Tobacco, British American Tobacco, Brown and Williamson, Lorillard, RJ Reynolds, and several industry lobby groups. One smaller defendant, Liggett Group, was cleared after the court found it had broken from the conspiracy in the mid-1990s.
Kessler barred the companies from using terms such as 'light,' 'low tar,' 'mild,' 'ultra light,' and 'natural' on packaging or in advertising starting 1 January. She also ordered them to publish corrective statements on their websites, in newspaper advertisements, in cigarette pack inserts, and on national television.
The judge stopped short of requiring the industry to fund a national anti-smoking campaign or banning tobacco advertising in motor sports. The Department of Justice said it was pleased with the liability finding but disappointed that not all requested remedies were granted. Health advocacy groups criticized the penalties as insufficient.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.