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Judges Uphold 2006 Ruling That Firms Lied About Risks
Jump to full article: The Washington Post, 2009-05-23
Author: Del Quentin Wilber Washington Post Staff Writer
Intro: A federal appeals court dealt a blow to cigarette makers yesterday by upholding a landmark 2006 ruling that the companies lied for decades about the dangers of smoking.
In a 93-page opinion, a three-judge panel cleared the way for new restrictions on how cigarette companies market and sell their products. Under the decision, the manufacturers will no longer be allowed to label brands "light" or "low tar" and will have to purchase ads on television and in major newspapers that explain the health dangers and addictiveness of their products.
Tobacco companies indicated that they will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, a process that would probably put compliance with the ruling on hold for at least several months. . . .
"The evidence at trial demonstrated that the results of this research -- essential to the core of Defendants' operations, including strategic planning, product development, and advertising -- were well known, acknowledged, and accepted throughout the corporations," the judges wrote. "These results established that cigarette smoking causes disease, that nicotine is addictive, that light cigarettes do not present lower health risks than regular cigarettes . . . and that secondhand smoke is hazardous to health."
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Quotes from this article:
The evidence at trial demonstrated that the results of this research . . . were well known, acknowledged, and accepted throughout the corporations. These results established that cigarette smoking causes disease, that nicotine is addictive, that light cigarettes do not present lower health risks than regular cigarettes . . . and that secondhand smoke is hazardous to health.
Judges' verdict on the DOJ suit from U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
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