http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/settlements.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2008/07/05/scruggs.ART_ART_07-05-08_A8_EHAKSHQ.html?sid=101 http://tobacco.org/news/268285.html Simple: Because he figured he could get away with it. The federal judge who sentenced Scruggs said there is evidence that Scruggs has employed bribery before. . . . The "King of Torts" has taken quite a fall from the days of the $246 billion settlement he wrested from the tobacco industry (of which he took a nearly $1 billion cut). . . . Indeed, Scruggs rewrote the playbook on how major class-action litigation is decided. It's not in the courtroom; it's in the court of public opinion, through the media. It's by rallying coalitions in state legislatures and Congress. Apparently, the playbook also includes bribery. . . . Scruggs has shamed his profession and, through his blatant display of greed and disregard for the law, overshadowed whatever good he might have accomplished through the years. Columbus Dispatch rbarlow@dispatch.com Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/NEWS/806290371/1001/news http://tobacco.org/news/268265.html Hollywood director Michael Mann, in his letter to U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers, said Scruggs "is simply not a boastful man." Mann directed the 1999 movie, The Insider, about the secrets of the tobacco industry that led to the record $206 billion nationwide settlements Scruggs helped negotiate. Scruggs was a consultant. "Dick never talked himself up to be more than a hero than was accurate," Mann wrote. . . . So how did Scruggs, who made up to $800 million in legal fees on tobacco litigation, get involved in a scheme to pay a seemingly paltry $40,000 bribe to a judge? Scruggs' friends say they're baffled. Scruggs' attorney, John Keker of San Francisco, suggested it might take an author along the lines of a William Faulkner or Walker Percy to explain it all. . . . Like Jones, two former law partners, Alwyn Luckey and Bob Wilson, sued Scruggs, in 1994, saying he never paid them their share from asbestos and tobacco litigation. Convinced Scruggs was being "shaken down" by others, Jones said he poured all his might into defending Scruggs. The case bounced from court to court until both sides agreed to let U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerry Davis arbitrate the case involving Luckey in 2005. Davis ordered Scruggs to pay Luckey $17 million. "The irony is the bulk of the majority of the award was interest because Dickie had litigated it for 12 years," Jones said. Jones viewed the ruling as a victory since he had successfully protected Scruggs' interests with regard to any legal fees earned from the tobacco litigation. But Scruggs saw it as an unacceptable defeat, Jones said. From that point on, Scruggs decided to stop trusting the system that had made him a multimillionaire, Jones said. "I was dealing with a different man emotionally and psychologically." Jackson Clarion-Ledger jmitchell@clarionledger.com Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/business/03scruggs.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=tobacco&st=nyt&oref=slogin http://tobacco.org/news/268095.html Zach Scruggs, son of Mississippi lawyer Richard F. Scruggs, was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Wednesday for his part in a scheme to bribe a judge. The government had recommended probation for Zach Scruggs, 34, also a lawyer, who was sentenced by Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. at a hearing in Federal District Court in Oxford, Miss. Bloomberg News Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080702/world/scruggs_sentencing_1 http://tobacco.org/news/268014.html The son of anti-tobacco lawyer Richard (Dickie) Scruggs has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for knowing about a judicial bribery scandal and not reporting it to authorities. Zach Scruggs was sentenced Wednesday by the same federal judge who last week sent his father to prison for five years for planning to bribe a Mississippi judge. The sentence for Zach Scruggs went beyond the prosecution's recommendation of probation. The charge was misprision of a felony, which meant he had knowledge of a crime and didn't report it. AP Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.newsweek.com/id/91171 http://tobacco.org/news/267950.html IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF AUGUST, AND Bill Clinton, vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, ran into C. Everett Koop, the former surgeon general. Each man had come to the island for the Labor Day weekend. But Koop wasn't taking a holiday. He used the chance meeting at a quaint general store to lobby Clinton on tobacco. ""Be firm on getting the documents,'' said Koop . . . Meanwhile, Koop and Kessler are spending much of their time working the Capitol. Koop speaks first in meetings and has better ties to the GOP, even though both are Republicans. As former FDA boss, Kessler is better versed in the minutiae of regulation. (For their part, supporters of the original settlement, which favored the industry, charge that the duo are grandstanders who keep upping their demands.) But many members agree with the assessment of Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who has the lead on tobacco in the Senate, that the two are ""very significant'' to a final deal. Now McCain and Congress must figure out the doctors' bottom line. Will they hew to their gold standard or, in the end, make an accommodation that the industry can accept? Newsweek Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://newsok.com/smoking-moms-to-be-strive-to-go-from-pregnant-pause-to-permanently-smoke-free/article/3263380/?tm=1214625662 http://tobacco.org/news/267765.html The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, which runs the helpline, implemented procedures this spring to help pregnant women quit smoking, and Adams is one of many women to seek the extra help. The helpline offers services to any smoker who wants to quit, but a more intensive program is available for pregnant women because of the damage smoking can do to a fetus, said Tracey Strader, the endowment trust's executive director. Pregnant women receive twice as many phone sessions with a trained quit coach than regular smokers who call in for help. The extra sessions stress the consequences of smoking and quitting permanently – not just while pregnant, Strader said. The Oklahoman Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8568523&nav=menu113_2 http://tobacco.org/news/267764.html The process of applying for benefits could become more difficult if tobacco funding is used to secure bonds to balance the state budget, citing the plan a short term fix lawmakers say. Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki's plan to use tobacco settlement money instead of having to make major cuts to the budget is considered a short term fix by lawmakers because today's programs that receive tobacco bonds say the plan is poor social and fiscal policy that will cost more money in the long run. KRNV News 4 Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/NEWS/806280351/1001/news http://tobacco.org/news/267763.html More than 100 people filled the courtroom Friday morning for Scruggs' sentencing, with the overflow put in another courtroom. Former Attorney General Mike Moore, who recruited Scruggs to lead the state's successful lawsuit against the tobacco industry, and University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat were among the many Scruggs' supporters who showed up. Moore also is representing Zach Scruggs, who pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of not reporting knowledge of the bribe. Prosecutors are recommending probation for Zach Scruggs, slated to be sentenced July 2. After the hearing, Moore remarked, "This is tragedy after tragedy after tragedy. Unfortunately, there's nothing good that comes of this." Jackson Clarion-Ledger jmitchell@clarionledger.com (Jerry Mitchell ) Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/651559.html http://tobacco.org/news/267762.html Attorney Ronald L. Motley, wrote: "In the later 1990s (beginning with initial discussion in 1997) Mr. Scruggs and my partner Joe Rice, along with a committee of State Attorneys General, negotiated the landmark settlement between the public entities and the major tobacco companies which included marketing restrictions with regard to advertising to minors. "In all of my personal and professional experience with Mr. Scruggs he displayed the highest degree of professionalism. "He is also a dear friend of mine." Biloxi Sun Herald calee@sunherald.com (ANITA LEE) Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sunherald.com/newsupdates/v-print/story/653064.html http://tobacco.org/news/267761.html JUDGE NEAL B. BIGGERS : All right. (Pause. ) Well, Mr. Scruggs, you'll receive a transcript of this sentencing hearing. And I 'll tell you now that, you know, there might be some things that you can do to help yourself in the future; and you can read about it. You may not remember what I ' m saying, but there' s some people who you're involved with who I have become intrigued in this situation of what' s going on. When I see, from this case and others, that people who are not lawyers are getting considerable amounts of money from a legal settlement and - - you know, it intrigues me as to how - - what they're doing to earn it, if anything. They're not lawyers, so they're not receiving any settlements. If you come - - you know, Balducci said that you know where a lot of bodies are buried. If you want to uncover some of those bodies, it might help you in the future in this case and this sentencing. But based on these considerations, Mr. Scruggs, and pursuant to the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, it is the judgment of the Court that you be committed to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a term of 60 months on Count 1 of this indictment. And the Court will recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that you be housed in a facility that can afford you the opportunity to participate in both mental health and drug treatment programs. Biloxi Sun Herald Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sunherald.com/pageone/v-print/story/653544.html http://tobacco.org/news/267760.html The gravity of his crime visibly settled on attorney Dickie Scruggs' shoulders Friday as he stood before the sentencing judge. The attorney was composed until U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. mentioned Scruggs' concern for the wife and daughter he will leave behind for prison. . . . One of Scruggs' co-conspirators in the bribery said Delta businessman P.L. Blake ensured Scruggs would pay Circuit Judge Henry Lackey $50,000 for an order that would send a legal-fee dispute to an arbitration panel rather than a jury. Blake has testified - in yet another fee dispute between Scruggs and a fellow attorney - that Scruggs is supposed to pay him $50 million over 20 years from tobacco-settlement fees for monitoring news reports and public sentiment during the politically charged negotiations Scruggs led in the late 1990s. Biggers also referred to judicial bribery co-conspirator Timothy Balducci, who agreed to cooperate with the investigation after he learned his conversations with Judge Lackey had been taped. "When I see, from this case and others, that people who are not lawyers are getting considerable amounts of money from a legal settlement and - you know, it intrigues me as to how - what they're doing to earn it, if anything," Biggers said. "Balducci said that you know where a lot of bodies are buried. If you want to uncover some of those bodies, it might help you in the future in this case and this sentencing." Biggers said Scruggs so readily and easily agreed to the bribe that he seemed to have done this before. Scruggs remains under investigation for alleged bribery of Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter. "You found out that Judge Lackey is not a man to bribe," Biggers said. "You picked the wrong man to try to bribe." Biloxi Sun Herald calee@sunherald.com (ANITA LEE) Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/OPINION01/806280316 http://tobacco.org/news/267759.html On Friday, the famed tort attorney who won a $206 billion settlement from tobacco companies in the 1990s, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to bribe a judge. . . . The fabulously wealthy attorney was in a dispute with another attorney over the division of fees in a mass settlement of Hurricane Katrina insurance cases when he and his partner attempted to bribe Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Henry Lackey with $50,000. A sad end to a fabled career. Hattiesburg American Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-scruggs.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=tobacco&st=nyt&oref=slogin http://tobacco.org/news/267733.html A high-profile Mississippi lawyer, who became unpopular on Wall Street for battling powerful companies, was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge. Richard "Dickie" Scruggs made millions through landmark lawsuits against tobacco, pharmaceutical and construction companies. He also sued insurance companies after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers ordered Scruggs to pay a $250,000 fine as well as for the cost of his incarceration, which was due to start on August 4, according to a local television journalist who attended the hearing. It was the maximum sentence possible under a plea deal worked out with government prosecutors. "I cannot be more ashamed. Reuters Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=an72EhY7expc http://tobacco.org/news/267730.html Richard ``Dickie'' Scruggs, the Mississippi lawyer who spearheaded legal settlements with tobacco firms that provided $206 billion to 46 U.S. states, was sentenced to the maximum five years in prison for trying to bribe a judge. Scruggs, 62, whose firm made hundreds of millions of dollars on the tobacco cases, pleaded guilty in March to conspiring to pay a $40,000 bribe to a state judge. That judge handled a lawsuit on how to divide $26.5 million in legal fees from an $89 million settlement with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. over claims from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. ``You committed a reprehensible crime in my opinion, the most reprehensible crime a lawyer can commit, which is the corruption of a judge,'' said U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers today at a hearing in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi. ``The justice system made you a rich man, and yet you attempted to corrupt it.'' . . . Biggers suggested Scruggs might reduce his term if he cooperates with prosecutors probing payments to non-lawyers in tobacco-fee litigation. Scruggs may know ``where a lot of bodies are buried,'' Biggers said. ``If you uncover some of those bodies, it might help you in the future.'' Bloomberg News dvoreacos@bloomberg.net (David Voreacos and Laurence Viele Davidson) Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=275362&pub=1&div=News http://tobacco.org/news/267720.html If you ever see the movie, "The Insider," you'll see the story of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand and his great difficulties in blowing the whistle on the world's second-largest tobacco company about the health hazards of smoking. The man who legally helped Wigand get his message to the world: Richard "Dickie" Scruggs. The man who risked his job to make the documentary for CBS/60 Minutes: Lowell Bergman. Wigand and Bergman are among 248 letters to Senior Judge Neal Biggers asking for leniency when Scruggs stands before him Friday to be sentenced for pleading guilty to trying to bribe a judge. Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal DJWebmaster@djournal.com (Patsy R. Brumfield Daily Journal ) Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT