Class action lawsuit against tobacco companies in Australia
05/19/99
Margaret Peterson, a smoker for 40 years, is one of over a thousand Australians suing the tobacco giants in a historic class-action lawsuit.
Her addiction of nicotine has caused her lung and throat cancer, heart disease and epilepsy, loss of her jobs and a very unhappy life. Others participating in the lawsuit have been diagnosed with a range of diseases, including lung cancer and emphysema. The class action lawsuit against Philip Morris, Rothmans and W.D. & H.O. Wills, is seeking damages for pain and suffering, loss of income, medial and other expenses. Additionally, it is also seeking punitive damages. Law firms Slater and Gordan and Coleman and Grieg are pursuing the matter in Federal Court. The tobacco companies have paid out huge damages in the United States but have never previously been sued successfully by smokers in Australia, which is what makes this lawsuit historic. The suit is set to resume in the Federal Court in Sydney on 26 July.
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