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Court affirms verdict in tobacco medical monitoring case 

The state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 2001 jury decision that tobacco companies shouldn't have to pay for medical monitoring for some 270,000 healthy smokers.

The court voted 3-1 to reject the smokers' appeal, which argued they deserved free routine medical tests because cigarette companies sold a defective product with no regard for their customers' health.

"I'm very worried that union health and welfare funds, and small and medium businesses that have insurance for their employees, are going to have to start paying for these very expensive tests -- while these out-of-state tobacco companies are laughing all the way to the bank," said attorney Scott Segal, who represented the smokers.

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