Jump to full article: AP, 2002-08-31
Author: PERRINE LATRASSE, Associated Press Writer
Intro: A French court on Friday threw out a damage lawsuit filed by a 60-year-old smoker who accused a state-owned tobacco company of responsibility for his lung cancer.
Michel Loupias, a retired police officer, sought compensation from the company, Seita, for "failing to provide information (on health risks) and putting a dangerous product on the market."
But the court in the southern city of Toulouse ruled in favor of Seita, which argued the dangers of smoking were widely known before a 1976 French law required tobacco companies to issue health warnings on cigarette packs.
"Tobacco, like alcohol, is not strictly speaking a dangerous product," Seita lawyer Pierre Dozier told the court during a hearing on June 18. "It is not subjected to the same legislation as products that may contain harmful elements for consumers."
Dozier also said that since Seita was owned by the state, it was up to the Finance Ministry to inform the public about smoking-related health risks, not the company. . .
"All these (court) decisions highlight two essential points: the widely known risks linked to tobacco and the absence of a direct causality link," [Altadis] said in a statement.
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