Threat of major lawsuit

Suing ‘big tobacco’ for the costs of smoking-related illnesses in Australia is on the radar of an organization set up by billionaire iron ore magnate and philanthropist Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, according to a story by James Carmody, Kate Lambe and David Weber for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The $75-million Eliminate Cancer Initiative (ECI), funded by Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola, is said to be seeking legal advice on the potential to mount a case seeking billions of dollars in compensation from tobacco companies.

ECI is quoted as saying that the potential litigation would likely be based on a landmark Canadian lawsuit where three tobacco companies were ordered to pay more than $15.6 billion in damages to smokers in Quebec.

“What we do need to keep in mind is the impact and cost associated with those smokers who are now coming through the healthcare system,” ECI COO Bruce Mansfield said.

“We do need to recognise that there is a cost associated with tobacco and therefore an approach that needs to be considered very sensibly is for those industries to actually take some of the burden away from the community and of course the government.”

Mr Forrest said that to tackle cancer, smoking must also be tackled because it was the single-greatest cause of preventable death.

The full story is at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-30/andrew-forrest-cancer-centre-to-take-on-tobacco-industry/9004204.