Israeli Smokers Sue Cigarette Companies

Five Israeli smokers filed a lawsuit against several tobacco companies that seeks $4.2 billion in damages and class-action status, one of the lawyers representing the claimants said. The suit, filed in Tel Aviv District Court, contends that the companies misled consumers for many years about the addictive nature of nicotine and developed products in tests conducted on the human body to ensure that the cigarettes were addictive. The suit names Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and British American Tobacco and their importers, as well as Israel’s leading manufacturer of cigarettes, Dubek. The claimants are seeking compensatory damages including the cost of purchasing the cigarettes and the cost of programs to kick the habit for all cigarette smokers in Israel, estimated at 950,000 people, or about 26% of the population. Dubek said it had not yet received notice of the suit, but it denied all allegations as published in Israeli newspapers Tuesday. A spokeswoman for BAT in London said the company had not received a copy of the suit. No comment was immediately available from Philip Morris or R.J. Reynolds.