Five tobacco companies were hit with a class-action suit last week for allegedly targeting ads to kids.
The suits charge Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Brown & Williamson Corp., Lorillard Tobacco Co., and Liggett Group with racketeering, saying the companies caused economic damage to kids by persuading them to smoke. (The suit also names the defunct Council for Tobacco Research USA and Tobacco Institute as defendants.)
The suit seeks to reclaim triple the amount of money spent on cigarettes by under-age smokers – or the profits tobacco companies made on cigarettes sold to kids under 18. It does not seek damages for health problems or personal injury.
“The combination of a product targeted at individuals not yet capable of making an informed decision and the secrecy surrounding the addictiveness of the product resulted in a market for cigarettes among under-age youth which defendants created and exploited for billions of dollars in profits,” the suit reads.
Only one class-action suit against tobacco companies has gone to trial: Last year, the Engle suit in Florida ended with a $145 billion judgment against tobacco marketers. Other class-action suits have been dismissed because of the wide range of individual circumstances among plaintiffs.
