A GROUNDBREAKING trial gets underway in Montreal today against three leading tobacco companies which face a $25 billion lawsuit for allegedly failing to adequately warn smokers of the dangers of cigarettes. Plaintiffs have filed two separate class actions in what is Canada's biggest-ever civilian lawsuit, against Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans Benson & Hedges in the Superior Court of Quebec. The first class includes 90,000 current and former smokers in Quebec who say they have fallen ill with a range of smoking-related ailments including emphysema and cancer of the throat and larynx, and are seeking $105,000 Canadian per person. The second suit was filed by 1.8 million current smokers who say they are unable to quit the tobacco habit, and are seeking $10,000 per person. According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse the Canadian tobacco companies of hiding research which has established a link between smoking and serious health problems like cancer. Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-new...es/story-e6frfku0-1226296659361#ixzz1onSe7CKO
