Appeals Judges Have Doubt About Tobacco Penalty
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A divided U.S. federal appeals court  panel on Wednesday expressed skepticism about whether the  government had the authority to force cigarette makers to pay  billions of dollars in past profits as part of its racketeering  case against the industry.
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A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upholds New York's system of choosing trial judges is likely to renew calls for legislative reform, but even some proponents of change say their chances of success are slim.
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A Louisiana appeals court cut a $591 million verdict against tobacco companies by more than half and limited the kinds of smoking-cessation programs the money can be used for.
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A U.S. federal judge gave class-action   status on Monday to a lawsuit filed by "light" cigarette   smokers who accuse tobacco companies of fraud and are seeking a   verdict of as much as $200 billion.
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Sick Florida smokers urged the state&#39;s highest court Wednesday to punish the tobacco industry for &quot;fraud and deceit&quot; by restoring a $145 billion class-action award, the largest ever by an American jury.
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The U.S. Justice Department said on  Wednesday it will ask a federal appeals court to reconsider a  recent ruling that barred the government's bid to have  cigarette makers pay back $280 billion in past profits.
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The US Supreme Court said Friday it would consider whether smokers of cigarettes marketed as "light" could sue the makers for deception on the grounds that they were just as harmful as regular smokes.
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TALLAHASSEE - Lawyers for as many as 700,000 ill and dying smokers urged the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday to restore a record-shattering $145 billion verdict against the tobacco industry, or at least a portion of it.
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WINNIPEG (CP) - Manitoba's sweeping anti-smoking law is facing a constitutional challenge - one that will inevitably be watched by other provinces planning their own crackdowns on tobacco.
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A divided Supreme Court set aside on Tuesday a $79.5 million punitive damages award won by a longtime smoker's widow against Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris unit.
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The decision raises the possibility that cases involving light cigarettes will become a major legal threat to the tobacco industry.
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A state appeals court upheld a &#36;500,000 award to a flight attendant who blamed secondhand smoke on airliners for her bronchitis and sinus trouble &#151; a decision Wednesday that could clear the way for damage trials on up to 3,000 similar claims.
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The Supreme Court Monday cast doubt on the constitutionality of guidelines that federal judges use in sentencing offenders.
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The Supreme Court yesterday overturned a nearly $80 million verdict intended to punish the Philip Morris tobacco company for endangering the lives of smokers, and the justices set limits on how jurors can decide to make big business pay for wrongdoing.
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A lawsuit accusing tobacco companies of  defrauding smokers into thinking "light" cigarettes were safer  than regular brands can proceed as a class action, a federal  judge in New York ruled on Monday.
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On the eve of a $280 billion  racketeering trial of major cigarette makers, political and  legal uncertainties are still seen hanging over the U.S.  government's long-awaited case.
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A federal judge on Saturday denied a tobacco industry request to delay the government's &#36;280 billion racketeering case against the industry which is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 21.