TOBACCO

Tobacco Firm’s PR Man Ordered to Testify: A Mississippi judge ordered a New York public relations consultant for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. to give a sworn deposition in the state’s $940-million lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The Jackson County judge ruled that John Scanlon must testify Aug. 30 at the Pascagoula law offices of Richard Scruggs, a private lawyer helping the state prepare its landmark case. Attorneys for Mississippi claim Scanlon waged a smear campaign against Jeffrey Wigand, the BAT Industries subsidiary’s former research director who has agreed to testify against the tobacco industry. Mississippi is one of nine states suing the industry to recover Medicaid funds spent treating smoking-related illnesses.