Canadian province seeking undisclosed sum from tobacco manufacturers

Prince Edward Island’s courts could be the next battleground forCanada’s tobacco companies after the provincial government filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for health care costs associated with alleged tobacco-related disease, according to a Guardian story.

The province’s statement of claim filed Monday named 13 tobacco companies as part of an alleged conspiracy to keep knowledge about the harmful and addictive properties of cigarettes from the province and the public.

It also included the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers’ Council as defendants in the lawsuit.

The claim divided the companies into four related groups based on their ownership: Philip Morris Group, R. J Reynolds, British American Tobacco and Rothmans.

In the 76-page statement of claim, the province seeks to recover health care costs relating to alleged tobacco related diseases for each year from 1953.

The province is also seeking estimated costs for health care benefits that could reasonably be expected to result from tobacco related disease in the future.

The government didn’t include the values in the statement of claim but said it would provide them prior to trial.