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Article: King County, Wash., Lawsuits Attack 'Light' Cigarettes as Fraud.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- April 9, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Maureen O'Hagan, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Apr. 9--Two lawsuits filed yesterday in King County Superior Court claim that tobacco companies defrauded Washington smokers into thinking that "light" or "low tar" cigarettes are less harmful than regular brands when they are just as dangerous -- perhaps more so.
The twist is that unlike typical tobacco cases, these plaintiffs are making no claims of illness in their class-action lawsuits. Instead, healthy smokers are attacking the tobacco companies for false marketing claims, which some experts say is a promising new strategy for plaintiffs. So far, similar cases have ...