New Mexico Is Latest State to File Suit

New Mexico filed a lawsuit against U.S. tobacco companies to recover tax funds spent treating indigent smokers, joining more than 25 other states that have sued the industry to recoup Medicaid expenses. The suit was filed as intense negotiations continue aimed at crafting a multibillion-dollar settlement of the tobacco industry’s vast legal and regulatory problems. In another development, a federal judge in Kansas City, Mo., denied an effort by a lung cancer victim to expand her lawsuit against Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. into a class action. Lawyers for plaintiff Barbara Smith had sought to expand her case into a class action on behalf of at least 2,000 Missouri smokers of Brown & Williamson brands. In ruling against the effort, U.S. District Judge Ortie Smith said establishing the class would not promote “judicial economy” but rather would “create judicial dis-economy” because of the need to examine each smoker’s case separately.