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• 'Light Cigarettes More Harmful to Smokers Than Regular Cigarettes,' Landmark Suit Against Philip Morris Claims 

Smokers who smoked Marlboro Lights believing that they were lower in tar and nicotine, as was stated on cigarette packages and in millions of dollars of cigarette advertising, were victims of "the light lie" perpetrated deliberately by tobacco companies to encourage people to believe that light cigarettes were less harmful than their regular counterparts.

Attorneys for Philip Morris claim that the term "light" refers to lighter taste rather than less harmful health effects, contrary to the widespread use of the term in the marketplace to mean less harmful ingredients such as fat, calories, carbohydrates or sodium. The plaintiffs pointed to a number of consumer products such as yogurt, jams, cheese, salad dressing, cheese and similar products. Philip Morris knew that food and alcohol products labeled as light meant less bad or less harmful to most consumers making purchasing decisions and played on that implicit health representation, the plaintiffs allege.

The lawsuit is the first consumer fraud lawsuit against tobacco companies in the nation. . .

"Marlboro Lights have higher levels of almost all toxins than Marlboro Reds," Tillery commented. "We now know they had a 50 year strategy of denials, disinformation and outright lies. They reassured people about their health, saying if you can't quit smoking, smoke these light cigarettes because they're better for you and yet they were more harmful. This case is about people receiving an addictive product far more dangerous than orange juice or auto parts."

The trial is scheduled to continue for six or seven weeks. The plaintiffs made a motion early in the proceedings to waive their right to a jury trial, so Judge Nicholas Byron will preside over the trial and determine the outcome.

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