In a class-action lawsuit filed in a federal court in Madison, Wisconsin, 14 state residents are suing the state for a share of the state's $5.9 billion tobacco settlement funds.

The plaintiffs are Medicaid recipients who are seeking money to reimburse them for past and future costs of treating their smoking related illnesses. The smokers claim that they are entitled to settlement dollars in excess of medical costs that the state paid. The lawsuit filed Friday says the state sued to recover its past and future expenses in paying for the medical treatment of smoking-related illnesses Medicaid recipients suffered. According to the lawsuit, Federal law requires that if the state collects for past or future medical expenses on behalf of Medicaid recipients, the funds recovered are to be divided between the state and federal governments according to the amounts each has paid. All remaining funds representing past or future medical expenses must be paid to the recipients.

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