Archived Issues

U.S. Supreme Court won’t review disgorgement claim

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it will not hear the government’s appeal of its disgorgement claim in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case against the industry.

The DOJ had attempted to claim $280 billion of tobacco company profits in the suit, which contends tobacco companies misled the American public about the dangers of smoking over the course of 50 years. In February, however, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the government couldn’t use federal racketeering laws to go after the companies’ past profits. The government appealed to the Supreme Court.

The DOJ’s lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will continue. The government is still seeking $14 billion to fund anti-smoking initiatives.