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“Light” Cigarette / “Low Tar”
& Related Newswire
6/29/2006 7:36:00 PM | 'Light' Cigarettes Don't Help Smokers
=(0) More bad news for those who smoke "light" cigarettes: Not only are they just as bad for you as regular cigarettes, but they may make it more difficult to quit altogether. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health has shown that smokers of light cigarettes are less than half as likely to quit, and the the difference increases with a...
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6/19/2006 8:19:00 PM | Philip Morris to get $2.15 billion back from Madison County
=(0) Things are looking up for Philip Morris in Madison County, Illinois. It will get back over $2 billion of its appeal bond posted there after it lost a $10 billion judgement in a class action lawsuit. The suit claimed Philip Morris fraudulently claimed its "light" cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes. The verdict was later overturned ...
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6/14/2006 2:45:00 PM | Smokers can't file class-action against Philip Morris
=(0) The Ohio Supreme Court has denied class action status to a lawsuit brought by two Ohio smokers against Philip Morris. A lower court had approved the status but that ruling was overturned. The suit, which can still proceed on its own, involved whether Philip Morris knew that "light" cigarettes are as dangerous as regular ones when it marke...
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5/23/2006 6:15:00 AM | Arkansas 'light' cigarette case may be headed for high court
=(0) The US Supreme Court may review whether the federal or state court system should try a lawsuit against Philip Morris. The plaintiffs, two Arkansas smokers, want the case heard in Arkansas. A lower court has ruled that the case may shift to federal court which is thought to favour large corporations. The lawsuit concerns Cambridge Lights a...
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5/18/2006 3:04:00 AM | Court Overturns Tobacco Verdict
=(0) The verdict was upheld, only the amount is in question, with regard to a lawsuit against Philip Morris USA. The company was found guilty of negligence and fraud, and held liable in the death of an Oregon smoker because of its claims that low tar cigarettes were safer than regular cigarettes. The original amount awarded was $150 million; t...
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5/12/2006 7:36:00 AM | BC court allows tobacco lawsuit to go ahead
=(0) A class action lawsuit in Canada against Imperial Tobacco may proceed, according to an Appeal Court in British Columbia. The suit alleges deceptive marketing which implied that light or mild cigarettes were safer than regular cigarettes. The class was narrowed somewhat, to include only people who purchased this type of cigarette after May...
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3/28/2006 3:15:00 AM | Are low-nicotine cigarettes safe?
=(0) A study of how consumers interpret advertising for a new low-nicotine cigarette reveals that almost half made false assumptions about the overall safety of the product. Nicotine is not the only harmful component of cigarette smoke, and thus the cigarette is still dangerous. The study suggests the need for public education campaigns..........
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3/27/2006 11:45:00 AM | Illinois top court undecided on Altria rehearing
=(0) The Illinois Supreme Court has yet to decide if it will re-hear a case against Philip Morris USA. The court had thrown out the $10 billion verdict against the cigarette maker and plaintiffs are requesting the case be re-heard. At issue is whether Philip Morris is liable for misleading consumers about the safety of "light" cigarettes..........
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3/24/2006 12:09:00 PM | Court may say Mon. if will rehear Philip Morris case
=(0) The Illinois Supreme Court has been asked to rehear a case against tobacco-maker Philip Morris U.S.A. The case concerns whether the company defrauded customers into thinking "light" cigarettes were safer than regular ones. In a lower court, plaintiffs in the class action were awarded $10 billion; but this decision was later reversed in the Illinois...
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3/21/2006 7:40:00 AM | High court lets stand $50 million award to late smoker's family
=(0) The US Supreme Court has let stand a $50 million judgement against Philip Morris USA. The plainiffs are the family of a cancer victim who died at 57 after being unable to stop smoking. He ultimately switched to "light" cigarettes in the belief they were safer. The Supreme Court had been asked to reconsider the amount of the judegement which had alr...
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3/15/2006 11:39:00 AM | Georgia Supreme Court Ruling Seen Aiding Tobacco Cos >RAI
=(0) A Georgia Supreme Court Ruling is seen as an important precedent for a pending Florida case. The Georgia court ruled that a settlement in 1998 precluded state residents from pursuing additonal lawsuits for punitive damages for tobacco use. However the suit is still active in Federal court................
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