Canada: Historical Condemnation of Tobacco in Quebec

Source from:  CNN ireport 07/02/2015

On June 1st, The Courts of Quebec ordered three cigarette manufacturers to pay 15.5 billion dollars in damages to more than one million victims of tobacco in Quebec, a new record in Canada. The three multinationals convicted, Imperial Tobacco Canada, Rothmans Benson & Hedges and Japan Tobacco International, immediately challenged the verdict of Justice Brian Riordan, who had been seized as part of the two class actions. This historic judgment is able to finally conclude seventeen years of court proceedings.

The judge identified four main accusations against the tobacco companies, including breaches of the general duty not to cause harm to others, and a duty to inform its customers of the risks and dangers of its products. Both class actions grouped in close to 1.02 million Quebecers, some of whom were smoking since the 1960s.

A long legal marathon

"In the nearly fifty years of the period covered by the class action, and during the seventeen years that followed, companies have made billions of dollars at the expense of the lungs, throats and the general well-being of their customers, "said Riordan J. River in a judgment of 276 pages.

The magistrate also ordered the tobacco companies to begin the payment of damages and interest that the case be appealed or not. The three companies will thus pay more than 1 billion Canadian dollars by the end of July.

"Adults consumers and governments were aware of the risks of smoking for decades," replied the Canadian branch of Imperial Tobacco, saying in a statement Monday that the ruling "seeks to provide adult consumers any responsibility for their actions. " Of the $ 15.5 billion in damages, the Imperial Tobacco Group pays the bulk, with 10.5 billion.

"We believe that there are strong grounds to appeal this ruling," said Tamara Gitto, vice president of Imperial Tobacco Canada, announcing the intention to seize the cigarette Quebec Court of Appeal. The new legal sequence that opens with the appeal of tobacco could take several years, up to the Supreme Court. Enditem