Tobacco.org

Court Says 9 New Jurors Needed for Tobacco Trial 

Nine jurors must be replaced before a trial can begin in a class-action lawsuit that seeks to require tobacco companies to pay for medical tests for Louisiana smokers, the state Supreme Court has ruled.

The trial had been scheduled to begin on Sept. 5, but was delayed by defense appeals challenging the impartiality of the jury. No date had been set for new jury selection to resume, a Civil District Court spokesman said on Wednesday after the Louisiana Supreme Court ruling. . .

``On balance, we think that the revised jury is an improvement for the tobacco defendants,'' Martin Feldman, a tobacco industry analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, said on Tuesday after the ruling.

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