Philip Morris news stories on Newser

Tobacco Firms Knew of Radiation in Cigs—in 1959

Matt Cantor — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:10:17 CDT

Tobacco companies were well aware that their products contained radiation—and they discovered this decades ago, UCLA researchers studying 27 historical documents have found. The firms learned of the presence of polonium-210 in cigarettes in 1959, and they examined the radioactive material's effects during the 1960s, documents show. They found...

Big Tobacco Beats Hospital Lawsuit

Rob Quinn — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 07:30:00 CDT

It was a "case of David versus Goliath," as hospitals took on tobacco companies in Missouri, a hospital lawyer says—and Goliath won. A jury decided yesterday that tobacco companies aren't liable for money spent on patients with tobacco-related illnesses who can't pay their bills, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch...

Kids Toil, Get Sick in Philip Morris Tobacco Fields

Jane Yager — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:36:30 CDT

In the tobacco fields that supply a Philip Morris factory in Kazakhstan, child laborers as young as 10 encounter such high doses of nicotine that they feel dizzy, vomit, and develop rashes on their necks and stomachs, a condition known as "green tobacco sickness." Other migrant tobacco workers have only...

Big Tobacco Sues Over 'Disgusting' Anti-Smoking Posters

Rob Quinn — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:02:00 CDT

Images of cancerous lungs, rotting teeth, and brain damage caused by smoking are "unappetizing," complain lawyers for tobacco companies suing New York City. RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Lorillard are taking the city to court over anti-smoking ads that stores selling cigarettes are now legally required to post near the...

Fla. Jury: Philip Morris Must Pay Ex-Smoker $300M

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:21:53 CST

A South Florida jury today ordered Philip Morris to pay $300 million to a former smoker, agreeing that the tobacco company's negligence was the cause of her emphysema. The award for Cindy Naugle, 61, is the largest to date among thousands of lawsuits filed in the state against tobacco companies....

Dow Up 36 Points; Consumer Stocks Gain

Nick McMaster — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:20:44 CDT

Stocks posted gains today, closing out a strong week as consumer stocks saw advances, the Wall Street Journal reports. Procter & Gamble gained 3.21% after Citigroup upgraded the firm’s shares to “buy.” Optimism about a recovery in consumer spending drove Starbucks up 3.64%, with PepsiCo and Philip Morris...

Aussies May Charge $20 Per Pack of Ciggies

Drew Nelles — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:22:00 CDT

Australians may be coughing up $20 for a pack of cigarettes if officials approve a new anti-smoking plan, the Age reports. The proposal, designed to cut Aussie smoking by a third, would ban all tobacco sponsorship and online sales, devote 95% of cigarette packaging to graphic health warnings, and tax...

Tobacco Bill's Winners: Philip Morris, Lawyers

Jason Farago — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:55:01 CDT

President Obama might have praised Congress' tobacco bill, but for George F. Will, the new legislation gives just two muscular groups reason to celebrate: Philip Morris and "the Democratic Party's fountain of funds, the trial bar." New restrictions on cigarette advertising will help Philip Morris vault over competitors, while a...

Cigarette Companies Lied, Appeals Court Rules

M. Morris — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:20:06 CDT

Tobacco companies engaged in “deceits” and knowingly marketed cigarettes without regard for consumers’ health, violating civil racketeering laws, a federal appeals court ruled today. In upholding the verdict in a landmark case brought by the Clinton Justice Department in 1999, the court refused to overturn a district judge’s order that...