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• Rothmans Says Santa Fe Natural Named in Tobacco Suits (Update3)  

Rothmans Inc. executives said Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., which Rothmans agreed to buy yesterday for $275 million, is a defendant in three tobacco- related lawsuits.

Plaintiffs in two of the cases are seeking class-action status for their complaints, while a third is an individual case, said Bob Carew, Rothmans' executive vice president and No. 2 executive. Santa Fe Natural sells cigarettes under the American Spirit brand and markets them as being free of chemical additives.

``We don't think the U.S. litigation (risk) applies equally to all U.S. tobacco companies,'' said Carew. ``We think that the companies that carried on business in the '50s and the '60s and into the '70s are at a much greater exposure level.''

Santa Fe Natural, which is closely held, started selling cigarettes in 1982.

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