Tobacco Companies Don’t Have to Say They Lied About Smoking Dangers: Court

A federal appeals court has ruled that American tobacco companies do not have to tell consumers they lied about the dangers of smoking. The companies must say cigarettes were designed to increase addiction, according to the Associated Press.

The ruling is part of a long-standing legal battle that began in 1999, the article notes. Tobacco companies had objected to running court-ordered ads that would have begun with the statement that they “deliberately deceived the American public.” The companies said that statement was misleading and too broad.

The appeals court ruled language in ads must focus on preventing future violations, instead of past misconduct. Judge David Tatel, writing for the court, approved statements that said the companies “intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive,” and intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine “to create and sustain addiction.”

In 2006, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that cigarettes companies violated civil racketeering laws by lying to the public about the dangers of smoking and their marketing to children.

Matthew Myers, President of the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement, “While we are disappointed the appellate court rejected a preamble sentence in the corrective statements that a federal court had ruled the companies ‘deliberately deceived the American public,’ it is a strong victory for public health that today’s ruling rejected every other claim made by the tobacco companies and did not overturn any of Judge Kessler’s voluminous factual findings about the industry’s deception.”