The current anti-smoking campaign
is not about your health ...

It is all about YOUR MONEY... They want it!

Sue, sue, sue ... Lawsuit Madness

Because health care expenses are supposedly higher for smokers, suing tobacco companies to recover state health care expenditures associated with smoking-related illnesses was a hit.

President Clinton announced at his "State-of-the-Union" address early in 1999 that the Justice Department will step in where the states left off, and bring suits against tobbacco companies. Shortly thereafter, the Clinton Justice Department announced its plans to sue tobacco companies.

In June, 1998, a Jacksonville, Fla., jury ordered Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. to pay almost $1 million to the family of Roland Maddox, who died of lung cancer after 48 years of smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes. His family sued, claiming the company was negligent, made a defective product and conspired with other tobacco companies to hide the health risks of smoking from the public. $52,249 of the award goes to Blue Cross and Blue Shield as repayment for Maddox's medical expenses.

Liberal influenced juries have in recent years been moving away from the concept of "personal responsibility" for one's choice and looking rather to blame some outside influence. In depositions, Maddox's co-workers at a grocery store said he enjoyed smoking, laughed at health risks and called cigarettes "coffin nails." John Nyhan, an attorney for Brown & Williamson, said, "I hope you will ask yourself whether it isn't wrong to be using our justice system to get rich." "Isn't it wrong to be trying to get a lot of money by blaming others when something unfortunate happens?" Apparently not.

In January, 1998, a federal judge approved a $15.3 billion settlement between Texas and the tobacco industry that ends the state's lawsuit against the industry. The agreement originally called for the five law firms involved to receive 15 percent ($2.3 billion) of the settlement.

A $300 million out-of-court settlement was reached in Miami in the flight attendants' lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The $300 million figure will be used to set up a research foundation -- the Broin Research Foundation -- that would cover early detection of diseases for attendants. The settlement includes $46 million to attorneys and nothing to the 60,000 nonsmoking flight attendant plaintiffs.

Mississippi settled for $3.36 billion in the state's Medicaid lawsuit against big tobacco.

The State of Florida and Lorillard Tobacco Co. settled it's Medicaid lawsuit for $11.3 billion.

A lawsuit filed November 22, 1997 on behalf of the health plans of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists and unions representing screenwriters, directors and technicians was patterned after similar litigation filed by other unions and state governments against tobacco companies. But it does take a Hollywood spin, alleging in one section that tobacco companies used movies to sell their products to children. "The tobacco companies have also marketed to youth by inserting advertisements for their products into movies that have appeal to children. Such movies include, for example, 'Superman II,' 'Supergirl' and James Bond," according to the lawsuit.

A February 1998 lawsuit filed in Utah accused major cigarette manufacturers of selling a defective product and conspiring to conceal the addictive power of nicotine. The suit contends tobacco companies elevated the level of nicotine in cigarettes, which helped to create addictions so strong that customers were left without a choice but to keep smoking.

Two law firms that represented Utah in its lawsuit against the tobacco industry in 1996 filed liens on an initial $10.9 million installment the state expects to receive as part of its settlement. At the time, the firms entered into a contingency agreement with the state that if the lawsuit was successful, private lawyers would receive no more than 25 percent of the award. "Perhaps the vast sums which will be coming over the years makes the actions of the greedy inevitable," Attorney General Jan Graham wrote in a letter to Utah lawmakers. [deseretnews.com]

Shouldn't someone be asking why lawyers should become billionaires on money which could be used to help keep kids from getting hooked?

Folks, it has nothing to do with health
     ... it's about your money!

There is an old saying, "Follow the Money". The anti smoking industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, a real money maker – most of it tax dollars. I ask you, would these people lie for money? I think the answer is obvious.