Israelis file $4.2 bln anti-tobacco suit (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

FOCUS-Israelis file $4.2 bln anti-tobacco suit
by Tova Cohen

Tuesday July 13, 12:09 pm Eastern Time

TEL AVIV, July 13 (Reuters) - Five Israeli smokers filed a 17 billion
shekel ($4.2 billion) suit in Tel Aviv District Court against several
tobacco companies, one of the lawyers representing the claimants said on
Tuesday.

Among the companies named were Israel's leading manufacturer of cigarettes
Dubek Ltd as well as Philip Morris Inc (NYSE:MO - news), R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco (NYSE:RJR - news), British American Tobacco Plc (quote from Yahoo!
UK & Ireland: BATS.L) (AMEX:BTI - news) and their importers.

``We have requested the suit be considered a class action on behalf of all
cigarette smokers in Israel,'' lawyer Yaela Machlis told Reuters.

Dubek said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that it had not
yet received notice of the suit but denied all the allegations as
published in Israeli newspapers on Tuesday. Dubek said it would respond
after receiving an official notice.

A spokeswoman for BAT in London said: ``We have not received a copy of the
application yet. So it is very difficult to comment any further.''

No comment was immediately available from Philip Morris or R.J. Reynolds.

Machlis said the companies named in the suit would be receiving official
notification within the next few days.

The suit claims the tobacco companies misled consumers for many years
about the addictive nature of nicotine.

It also maintained that the companies developed products in tests
conducted on the human body to ensure the cigarettes were addictive.

The suit said the companies' claims about their filtered, low nicotine
cigarettes also misled the public.

``Research shows these light cigarettes are still addictive and still
dangerous,'' Machlis said.

The claimants are seeking compensatory damages including the cost of
purchasing the cigarettes and the cost of programmes to kick the habit for
all cigarette smokers in Israel, estimated at 950,000 people, or about 26
percent of the population.

``This differs from other suits that have been filed that have sought
compensation for the damage to the health of the claimants,'' Machlis
said.

($1 = 4.09 shekels)