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STATEMENT ON COURT RULING IN US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CASE AGAINST THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY Kathryn Mulvey, Corporate Accountability International Executive Director For Immediate Release: Contact: "US District Court Judge Kessler's ruling against the tobacco industry and in favor of the Justice Department adds weight to the already broad public rejection of the industry's history of deception. The ruling forces tobacco corporations to admit they lied for decades, with deadly consequences." "However, the ruling falls far short of its potential for positive health impact by failing to order tobacco corporations to pay billions of dollars of financial damages originally sought by the Justice Department. The huge profitability of the tobacco industry has been at the root of Big Tobacco's political influence in the US and around the world. In order to reverse the tobacco epidemic, tobacco corporations must be held financially accountable for the harms they have caused." "We join with public health and tobacco control advocates across the US in urging the Bush Administration to appeal Judge Kessler's decision and seek payment of financial damages." "This is yet another indication that the United States is lagging behind, as the rest of the world moves forward to hold tobacco corporations accountable for their deadly products and practices. Already, 137 countries have ratified the global tobacco treaty, embracing a range of policies to reverse the tobacco epidemic. The Bush Administration signed the global tobacco treaty in May 2004, but has not given the U.S. Senate an opportunity to vote on ratification. The US should join the broad international consensus already achieved on tobacco control, ratify the global tobacco treaty, and implement its provisions swiftly. US ratification and implementation of the treaty will help protect hard-fought public health victories in the US from volatile changes in the political climate." "After today's ruling, the Altria Group has cleared one of the last hurdles before its much-anticipated breakup. Since acquiring Kraft Foods in 1988, Philip Morris/Altria has been broadly criticized for hiding tobacco abuses behind Kraft's kid-friendly image. Health and corporate accountability groups believe the split will be a victory for public health in the long run, by dramatically reducing the financial resources and political clout of the world's largest tobacco corporation." # # # Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations--like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria--to stop abusive actions. Corporate Accountability International, an NGO in Official Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), played a key role in development of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
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