Lawsuit Demands Tobacco Companies Pay for Doctor's Exams January 8, 2001
News Summary
A West Virginia jury will decide whether tobacco companies should pay for preventive medical monitoring, the Associated Press reported Jan. 4.The class-action lawsuit, brought by 250,000 West Virginians, demands that the tobacco industry spend as much as $500 million to provide free periodic medical tests for smokers who are currently healthy but at risk of contracting various cancers and lung or heart disease.
"West Virginians are entitled to obtain monitoring as a result of their exposure to a very toxic group of substances," said Scott Segal, one of the lawyers representing residents.
This is the first time such a class-action lawsuit has made it to trial in the United States. Of the 12 other cases filed throughout the country, 10 of the 13 have been denied class-action status and dismissed.
"This is an extremely unique case -- to have uninjured plaintiffs who have knowingly and voluntarily exposed themselves to the most widely known risk in our society, and who are not sick," said Jeff Furr, an attorney for R.J. Reynolds.
The West Virginia trial is expected to take 3-1/2 months.
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