A class-action lawsuit aimed at compelling tobacco companies to pay for medical monitoring of smokers has reached the Oregon Supreme Court, the Associated Press reported Sept. 5.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2001, asserts that tobacco firms should be forced to pay for medical screenings for lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking-related diseases. Lower courts have ruled against the plaintiffs in the case.

Lawyers for Philip Morris contend that a negligence case requires proof that someone has suffered a "present physical injury."