3 tobacco companies in $27B lawsuit begin their defence

Three of Canada's tobacco giantsbegan their defence Mondayagainst a$27-billion class-action lawsuit in Montrealby callinga witness who said the dangers of smoking are no secret.

Historian and professor Jacques Lacoursire testified tobacco's health risks havebeen common knowledge for decades.

He pointed to over 700 referencesto the hazards of smoking dating back to the 1950s, including TV and radio reports, school manuals, government releases and health professionals.

One of the manyexamples included a newspaper article thatoutlined a significant increase in lung cancer risk followingthe prolonged use of cigarettes.

The proceedings will continue on Tuesday with the plaintiffs' cross-examination of Lacoursire.

"What these historians miss is all the coverage that came out in the media about how the industry was involved in a conspiracy to hide all that information," saidFranois Damphousse, the Quebec director of the Non-Smoker's Rights Association.

"They knew about the health effects of their products, but they didn't meet the obligation to inform their public about what they knew."

Landmarkclass-action lawsuit

The complainants, two groups of individuals representing a total of 1.8 million Quebecers,allege three tobacco companies did everything possible to encourage addiction:

• Imperial Tobacco.
• JTI-MacDonald.
• Rothmans, Benson & Hedges.

One groupinvolves individuals who have become seriously ill from smoking, andmembers of the other group say they are unable to quit smoking.

They alsoallege the companies failed to properly warn their customers about the dangers of smoking, underestimated evidence relating to the harmful effects of tobacco, engaged in unscrupulous marketing and destroyed documents.

The class-action lawsuit, which is being touted asthe biggest civil case in Canadian history,was first filed years ago.

Lawyers for the tobacco companies attempted to have the entire civil suit thrown out, but the judge rejected the dismissal.