Coughing up
tobacco giant Philip Morris has been ordered to pay a record fine for misleading consumers about tar levels in its products. A Los Angeles court directed the company to pay a compensation of over us $3 billion to a chain smoker suffering from lung cancer. In addition, Richard Boeken, the smoker, has been awarded us $ 5.54 million in compensatory damages to pay for medical bills, lost wages and suffering. The amount is the largest sum of compensation ever given in a smoking-related lawsuit.
The court dismissed the arguments of the company's lawyers that Boeken was responsible for his medical condition. The court criticised the company for "fraudulence, negligence and deliberately concealing the harmful affects of cigarettes.' The court based its ruling on the secret documents of the company found by Stella Bialous and Derek Yach of the World Health Organisation. The documents reveal that the tobacco industry was giving out wrong information about the levels of tar and nicotine levels in its cigarettes
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