20 Tribes Sue Tobacco Firms for $1 Billion

Representatives of more than 20 American Indian tribes and groups said Thursday they were snubbed in the tobacco industry’s $206-billion settlement with states, and they’re suing for what they claim is their fair share.

“Once again in Indian country we have been left clear out of the process,” said Wilfred Louie, one of several tribal officials who appeared at a news conference at the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland.

The class-action suit, filed Wednesday in San Francisco federal court, demands $1 billion in compensation and punitive damages from several tobacco companies.

The suit stems from an agreement reached last November in which the tobacco industry promised to pay $40 billion over 25 years to settle four state lawsuits and an additional $206 billion in a broader deal with the other 46 states.

According to the suit, American Indians were counted for Census data used to determine how the money would be distributed but were not allotted their own share of the money. The suit claims that is a violation of Indian sovereignty and amounts to racial discrimination.

According to the suit, American Indians traditionally have used tobacco for ceremonial and medicinal purposes only.

But during World War II, American Indian soldiers were introduced to cigarettes and tobacco companies began targeting that population, the suit charges.