Big Tobacco Lawsuit

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In 2006, the American Cancer Society and other plaintiffs won a major court case against Big Tobacco. Judge Gladys Kessler found tobacco companies guilty of lying to the American public about the deadly effects of cigarettes and secondhand smoke.
 
Today, after 11 years of Big Tobacco stalling and negotiating, tobacco companies are being required to run an extensive television and newspaper advertising campaign, at their own expense, admitting the truth about their products.
 
The court case and this advertising campaign are a major victory for the American Cancer Society, ACS CAN and all Americans.

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Cancer Advocates Urge New York to Use JUUL Settlement Dollars to Fund Prevention and Cessation Programs

April 12, 2023
New York

ALBANY, NY – APRIL 12, 2023 – Earlier today, JUUL announced it will pay $462 million to settle a multi-state investigation into its underage marketing practices to attract young consumers to its addictive e-cigarettes. This settlement is evidence that JUUL intentionally preyed upon young consumers with the sole goal of

Big Tobacco, Guilty of Deceiving the American Public, Forced to Tell the Truth About Their Deadly Products Near Product Displays

May 4, 2022

Big Tobacco, an industry which has for decades addicted and endangered the lives of millions of Americans for their own profit, will finally have to post the truth about their deception and their deadly products where they are sold.

FDA Announces Intention to Prohibit Menthol Flavoring in Cigarettes and All Flavors in Cigars

April 29, 2021

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it will prohibit menthol cigarettes and all flavors in cigars. Ending menthol flavoring in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars is a long overdue step forward in reducing youth tobacco initiation, helping adults quit and reducing tobacco-related

Cancer Candor Blog

Twenty Years of Broken Promises in the Fight Against Tobacco

December 14, 2018

Two decades have passed since states reached a landmark legal settlement that required major tobacco companies to pay states more than $246 billion over time as compensation for the health costs related to the suffering, death and disease caused by their dangerous products. Each year, ACS CAN and public health

Big Tobacco Lawsuit Resources

23 Year History of the Racketeering Lawsuit Against the Tobacco Industry: Guilty of Deceiving the American Public

December 7, 2022

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against major tobacco manufacturers Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Altria to hold the industry accountable for more than 50 years of conspiring to defraud the public in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Big Tobacco, an industry which has for decades knowingly addicted and endangered the lives of millions of Americans for their own profit, must now post the truth about their deadly products, including at the point-of-sale (POS) for approximately 195,000 tobacco retailers.