lawsuits expanding overseas

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

>From the Advocacy Institute's news summaries, April 9, 1998



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US-Style Tobacco Lawsuits Exported Overseas

American style class action lawsuits against tobacco companies
are beginning to appear in other countries, including Great
Britain, Ireland, Canada, Israel, and Japan.  These lawsuits are
testing the view that the industry's legal problems are
confined to the US.  According to Martyn Day, a solicitor
representing sick smokers in the UK, US lawsuits have proven "to
be a very useful blueprint."  In addition, Mr. Day, and other
lawyers around the world, have had their cases strengthened by
the release of internal industry documents.

Source(s):
WALL STREET JOURNAL, (4/9/98)
   "US Tactics Stoke Britain's War On Tobacco", Ann Davis and Ernest Beck, p. B1

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