Court to hear appeals in landmark tobacco case

[October 14, 2008]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The tobacco industry is asking a federal appeals panel to overturn a landmark ruling that could open the door to more lawsuits from smokers claiming they were harmed because they were deceived by cigarette companies.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has scheduled arguments Tuesday to hear from both the industry and the government. The two parties are challenging different aspects of a judge's 2006 ruling that the tobacco industry deceived the public for decades about smoking risks. That ruling barred cigarette companies from using terms such as "low tar" or "light" in their marketing, but did not impose financial penalties. Cigarette companies say they did nothing wrong, while the Justice Department wants the industry to pay roughly $14 billion for a smoking cessation program and related efforts. [Associated Press] Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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