US Court of Appeals turns down light-cigarettes lawsuit

The United States Court of Appeals decided Thursday in favor of tobacco industry in a light-cigarettes lawsuit.

Photo: US Court of Appeals turns down light-cigarettes lawsuit

The group of people accused tobacco industry of misleading actions and advertisement that light (low tar or ultra light) cigarettes were safer than regular ones. An $800 billion class-action lawsuit was turned down in the absence of credible evidence.

Most of these terms refer to the type of filter that is used, and can vary depending on the brand. In some countries, the use of the word "Light" to refer to cigarettes has been banned.

According to the United States' Federal Government’s National Cancer Institute (NCI), light cigarettes provide no benefit to smoker's health.

The court’s decision was based on the claim that a group of people just couldn’t represent millions of people across the country who had smoked light cigarettes, when the reason of their choices in favor of light cigarettes was undetermined.

The court claimed that it required individualized proof to overcome the possibility that a member of the purported class purchased lights for some other reason than the belief that lights were a healthier alternative.

Photo: www.nysmokefree.com