Monday, July 1, 1996

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today blasted an attempt to block Connecticut's effort to recoup hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars spent on tobacco-related diseases.

"This arrogant attempt to deny Connecticut its day in court is the latest in an unrelenting crusade by the tobacco industry to avoid responsibility for decades of disease and death," Blumenthal said. "This frivolous action is meant simply to intimidate and hamper our efforts to recover money rightly due the state of Connecticut."

Blumenthal said the charges in the lawsuit, brought by four major tobacco companies, are without merit.

"Time and again, the tobacco industry wages an expensive dirty war against states -- without success," Blumenthal said. "We will not be intimidated by this and will continue our efforts to expose the lies and fraud put forth by the industry for decades."

The four tobacco companies that joined to file the lawsuit are Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard Tobacco. Three of the nine states that have already filed lawsuits against the tobacco industry faced similar lawsuits. Those states are Texas, Massachusetts and Maryland. The other six states that have filed suit are Florida, Mississippi, Minnesota, West Virginia, Louisiana and Washington.

Blumenthal announced on May 1 that Connecticut planned to file a lawsuit against the tobacco industry for tobacco-related Medicaid and other expenses.

"The tobacco industry is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths per year from smoking-related illnesses," Blumenthal said. "Our lawsuit and the lawsuits by other states around the country will finally hold the tobacco companies accountable for their actions to addict thousands of children every day."

Earlier this year, Blumenthal led a group of 29 state attorneys general in support of the FDA's proposed regulations for the tobacco industry. Since 1993, Blumenthal has led a statewide effort to encourage restaurants to completely ban smoking because of the dangers of second-hand smoke. And he has championed proposals to eliminate children's access to tobacco products.