Philip Morris

Altria Group Inc. completed its spinoff of Philip Morris International. Shareholders in Altria got one share of the international company for each one they owned March 19, Altria said. Altria Chief Executive Louis Camilleri takes charge of Philip Morris International as it prepares to boost sales of Marlboro, the world's top-selling brand, in China this year.

Re "Law left hanging," editorial, April 13 The Times' editorial on the Philip Morris punitive damages award seems to support the Supreme Court's argument that there should be "a reasonable relationship between the amount of punitive damages and the actual harm to a plaintiff" -- but that runs counter to the whole concept of punitive damages. To have any meaning or effect, the amount of punitive damages must be decided on the basis of what will discourage the offender from re-offending.

In the article on Indoor Air Quality ("Tobacco Firms Find Ally in Pollution Consultant," Times Valley Edition, Feb. 25), Philip Morris, a co-sponsor, was referenced as a member of Envirosense. Philip Morris is not a member of Envirosense, and seminar handouts have been revised to avoid any further confusion. LAWRENCE L. ABBLITT, Kennesaw, Ga. Abblitt is vice president of Envirosense.

Re "Punitive clarity," editorial, Dec. 9 In the second Philip Morris vs. Williams, the Supreme Court decided that courts must have a procedure to assure that juries are not confused about punitive damages and the proper use of evidence when others, in addition to the plaintiff, are harmed. Oregon has such a procedure. Philip Morris failed to comply with it, asking for a jury instruction that misstated Oregon law. In Exxon vs. Baker, the Supreme Court noted that most punitive damage awards are less than the amount of compensatory damages, and that jurors do a remarkably good job deciding how to punish reprehensible behavior with punitive damages.

Philip Morris USA won't have to face a class-action lawsuit brought by Florida smokers who claim they were misled about the health risks of "light" cigarettes, an appeals court ruled Wednesday. The three-judge panel in West Palm Beach, Fla., reversed a judge's ruling consolidating the claims by smokers of Marlboro Lights and Ultra Lights. The appeals court said the issues were too diverse to be grouped together.

The company said its board has authorized the reorganization of the cigarette producer into a holding company structure. The restructuring plan, subject to shareholder approval, calls for the formation of a new corporation, Philip Morris Cos. The present company, Philip Morris Inc., would become a wholly owned subsidiary of the new company. Under the plan, the outstanding shares of Philip Morris Inc. would be converted into identical holdings of Philip Morris Cos.

A Minnesota judge will permit smokers in that state to collectively sue Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA over claims involving the company's light cigarettes. Minnesota District Judge Allen Oleisky said the claims, based on Minnesota consumer protection laws, may be tried together. Philip Morris, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, will appeal the decision, a spokesman said. The smokers claim that New York-based Philip Morris misled them about the health risks of Marlboro Lights.

Philip Morris Inc. said its fourth-quarter net income more than doubled over a year earlier. The cigarette maker said the large gain resulted from the inclusion of General Foods Corp.'s results. Philip Morris acquired General Foods last fall for $5.6 billion. Philip Morris said its net income for the three months ended Dec. 31 totaled $283 million, compared to $105 million in the same period a year earlier.

Simon Worldwide Inc. sued Philip Morris Cos. in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accusing the tobacco company of illegally breaking a $7.5-million contract with the promoter after it became enmeshed in a scandal over a McDonald's Corp. give-away game. Philip Morris fired Simon after the Federal Bureau of Investigation in August said an employee of Los Angeles-based Simon subsidiary Simon Marketing Inc. stole winning McDonald's game pieces worth more than $20 million in prizes.

The Supreme Court agreed to let Philip Morris USA delay paying $10.5 million in damages to a former smoker in Glendale while the tobacco company contested the amount. The company was sued by Patricia Henley, who smoked for 35 years starting at age 15 and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1997. In September, the California Supreme Court refused to reduce the award, which Philip Morris claimed was excessive. The Richmond, Va.-based unit of Altria Group Inc.

Philip Morris USA, the nation's No. 1 tobacco company, said Monday that it had ended test markets of Marlboro-branded cigarettes that use a high-technology filter to potentially reduce the risk of smoking. The operating company of Altria Group Inc. said it pulled the plug on Marlboro Ultra Smooth and Marlboro Ultra Light cigarettes, which used an activated carbon filter to deliver nicotine with potentially less exposure to carcinogens than in conventional cigarettes.

Philip Morris USA effectively raised the price on Marlboro, Basic, L&M and most of its other cigarette brands by 9 cents a pack. The company, a unit of Altria Group, raised the price on Marlboro, Basic and L&M by reducing the promotional discount given to wholesalers on those brands. Reductions in promotional discounts are typically passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. The average price for a pack of Marlboro cigarettes, the top-selling U.S. brand, had been $4.27 in the first quarter.

Altria Group Inc. completed its spinoff of Philip Morris International. Shareholders in Altria got one share of the international company for each one they owned March 19, Altria said. Altria Chief Executive Louis Camilleri takes charge of Philip Morris International as it prepares to boost sales of Marlboro, the world's top-selling brand, in China this year.

Re "Smoking, and ire, at UCLA," Feb. 9 As a graduate of the UCLA School of Public Health, I am dismayed to learn of Philip Morris funding being accepted for tobacco research. The professed naivete of the undoubtedly qualified scientist and UCLA officials is more troubling. A modicum of research would show them that the only reason the tobacco industry takes such actions is to increase profits -- which necessitates addicting people. The industry's motive is far from "immaterial," as UCLA's vice chancellor for research must know -- it's called the profit motive.

With waning cigarette sales due to health concerns, smoking bans and price increases, Philip Morris USA Inc. is staking its future on a new research center meant to develop products to reduce the risk of tobacco use. The addition of the $350-million, 450,000-square-foot Center for Research and Technology nearly doubles the company's research space and gives its scientists and engineers one facility to collaborate on new projects.

Altria Group Inc. plans to spin off its Philip Morris International tobacco unit, a move designed to give the overseas maker of Marlboros and other cigarette brands more freedom to pursue sales growth in emerging markets. The plans announced Wednesday would leave Altria with its much smaller domestic tobacco business that nonetheless still ranks as the biggest in the United States.

Wall Street got more hints that Altria Group Inc., owner of the Philip Morris cigarette companies, may be closer to splitting its domestic and international divisions. Reporting that second-quarter income fell more than 18% on Wednesday, the New York-based company also provided more financial information than usual for its Philip Morris International unit, a signal to analysts that it might be preparing for the long-awaited split. Altria Chief Financial Officer Dinyar S.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a class-action lawsuit against Philip Morris, a unit of Altria Group Inc., should not be decided in federal court, handing a defeat to the tobacco company. The justices unanimously reversed a ruling that allowed Philip Morris to transfer the lawsuit to federal court from the Arkansas state court where it initially was filed.