Connecticut Attorney General's Office

Thursday, July 3, 1997

"This settlement with Mississippi is mounting evidence that Big Tobacco wants to avoid trials because it knows it will lose-- not only in the courtroom, but in the court of popular opinion. This industry does not want to have mountains of evidence showing decades of wrongdoing exposed in a public trial.

A seachange in popular opinion, along with the attorneys general settlement plan, has changed the legal and political landscape forever. An industry that once called our cases frivolous and for decades refused to negotiate with anyone, anywhere is today preparing to pay billions of dollars to escape litigation.

Neither this settlement nor any one state can achieve the sweeping public health benefits now before Congress. I continue to urge the President and Congress to scrutinize and strengthen that proposal so we can take advantage of this mounting momentum even as we address concerns raised by public health groups.

In Connecticut, we will continue to prepare our case and hold the industry responsible for its illegal marketing of tobacco products to our children, its deception about the death, disease and addiction caused by tobacco and the costs to our taxpayers have expended." For More Information: Contact Bill Halldin at 860-566-8239.