Tobacco.org

Report: U.S. judge in tobacco smuggling case had industry ties 

federal judge who helped hand the tobacco industry one of its biggest legal victories in recent years represented a tobacco company as a private attorney, a newspaper reported Monday.

The 2-1 ruling last October by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals derailed Canada's billion-dollar cigarette smuggling case against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc., leading to the dismissal of similar suits against cigarette makers by the European Union and Colombia.

Internal documents disclosed in tobacco litigation show that U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan participated in high-level meetings discussing how to prevent government action on tobacco smuggling when he was an attorney for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. in the 1970s and '80s, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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U.S. tobacco settlement lure in Canada legal effort 

British Columbia, with visions of the rich U.S. tobacco settlement, on Monday began a quest for Canada's provinces to unite in a legal attack against the cigarette makers.

British Columbia officials began a cross-country trip to recruit partners for a Canadian battle to recoup smoking-related health costs.

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Canadian A.G. to meet with states on tobacco talks 

Ujjal Dosanjh said he wants to discuss the strategy used by state prosecutors, who are now seeking a settlement of their suits against the U.S. tobacco industry.

``I'm very interested in the negotiating positions and tactics that will be used by the U.S. states in attempting to resolve lawsuits, which otherwise could take years of court time and millions of dollars in court costs to bring to closure,'' Dosanjh said.

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