Over the last ten years or so, we have seen a huge influx in tobacco lawsuits and smoking lawsuits and the turn of the tide against tobacco use. Since the 1950’s tobacco companies have erroneously marketed their products to all segments in society causing injury, disease and death to millions of Americans. In fact, nearly one in five deaths in the United States is related to smoking, including lung cancer, emphysema, heart attacks, strokes and other lung related illnesses.
How is this possible? Companies are liable for any injuries caused by a product that they make and market to the public and sell if they fail to warn the consumer about potential health risks or dangers. Additionally, if they make a product with a major design flaw or production problem, they are liable for any injury they cause. Some products are inherently dangerous, but cigarettes were not initially marketed as a dangerous product. Initially, cigarettes were actually marketed as a healthy and sophisticated product that made you look great and feel great too. Cigarette companies even developed specific campaigns designed to target young people, to get kids and teenagers smoking early, addicted early and therefore turning them into consistent tobacco consumers as adults. Some early cigarettes were also made with incredible dangerous materials like asbestos.
The problem was that cigarettes were dangerous and unhealthy. Between the addictive nature of nicotine and the other harmful chemicals and compounds that are inhaled when smoking cigarettes and the resulting disease, injury and deaths from cigarette related health issues, it was only a matter of time before the tobacco industry was held accountable. Cigarettes made with materials like asbestos that lead to diseases like mesothelioma were also liable under product defect statutes. Additionally, tobacco companies have been found negligent because they knew of many of the risks, diseases and deaths associated with their products and continued to market them incorrectly anyway. In fact, even today, their marketing practices around light cigarettes and low tar cigarettes are under dispute.
At this time, the tobacco companies have been forced to attach warning labels to the products to ensure that people understand the risk they are undertaking when they smoke cigarettes. They have also been forced to support millions of dollars of anti-smoking campaigns, specifically directed towards young people. They have been found liable in multiple cases for the diseases, injuries and deaths of individual smokers and they have been forced to give money to state and federal agencies.
There are still multiple class action cigarette lawsuits and individual tobacco lawsuits pending against various tobacco companies. The issues surrounding second hand smoke, light and low tar cigarette marketing and other smoking health related issues are ongoing. If you feel as though you may be a victim of product liability relating to cigarettes and smoking, you should contact a tobacco lawsuit specialist for a consultation. These cigarette lawsuit attorneys will be able to assess your case correctly and advice you on whether it would be prudent to move forward. They will also be able to help direct you to other resources that may be available to you through government programs.