A landmark lawsuit filed by Brazil’s Office of the Attorney General in 2019 seeking to recover public healthcare costs linked to smoking has reached the decision stage. All legal submissions have been completed, including an opinion from the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office supporting the government’s claims. The Federal Court in Porto Alegre will now decide whether the country’s largest cigarette manufacturers are liable for health damages associated with the marketing and sale of their products.
The case targets BAT Brazil and Philip Morris Brazil, and their parent companies, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, seeking compensation for tobacco-related healthcare expenditures. The lawsuit estimates that smoking causes about 177,000 deaths annually in Brazil and R$75 billion ($15 billion) in healthcare costs.
