Philip Morris Usa

A federal judge Monday discounted as "self-serving" the testimony of Philip Morris USA Chief Executive Michael Szymanczyk in the government's racketeering case against cigarette makers. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington, impatient as the cross-examination of Szymanczyk extended into the middle of its second day, told a lawyer for the government that she would look skeptically at what the CEO had to say.

The chief executive of cigarette maker Philip Morris USA told a federal judge Thursday that the company had changed in recent years and was now open with the public about the dangers of smoking. Appearing as a defense witness in the government's racketeering case against the tobacco industry, Philip Morris CEO Michael Szymanczyk said the company made a business decision during the late 1990s to ensure it was dealing with the public "responsibly, openly and honestly."

A California appeals court reaffirmed its decision that ordered Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA to pay $50 million to the family of a smoker who died of lung cancer. In September, the California Court of Appeal in Los Angeles reduced a trial award to $50 million from $100 million. Both sides asked the court for a rehearing. On Friday the court reiterated its decision, provided that Richard Boeken's family agreed to accept the $50-million award.

A New York jury told Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA to pay $18.8 million to a woman who said smoking gave her lung cancer, her lawyer said. Norma Rose, 72, and her husband, Leonard, won the verdict, which includes $17.1 million in punitive damages, from Philip Morris, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, said Stuart Finz, the couple's lawyer.

A New York jury ordered Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA and Reynolds American Inc. to pay $3.4 million to a woman who said smoking caused her lung cancer. Norma Rose, 72, and her husband, Leonard, sued Philip Morris, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, and American Tobacco, said Stuart Finz, the couple's lawyer. Reynolds American, the No. 2 cigarette maker, is the successor to American Tobacco, which no longer exists. The jury will consider a possible award of punitive damages.

Philip Morris International Inc. has made a $5-billion offer for Indonesia's third-largest cigarette producer, a move that would fatten its share of the country's fast-growing tobacco market while health concerns put a squeeze on smoking elsewhere in the world. The company, a unit of Altria Group Inc. and maker of Marlboro cigarettes, said late Sunday that it had agreed to buy a 40% stake in PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna from its principal shareholders for a total of $2 billion in cash.

Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S. tobacco company, said it won a bid Wednesday to overturn a ruling that allowed Californians to sue as a group over the marketing of "light" cigarettes. Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager in San Diego County decertified the class, saying that Proposition 64 applied to the case, according to Altria. The proposition, which was approved by California voters in November, makes it more difficult to sue companies on unfair-competition claims.

A Los Angeles jury handed a legal victory to Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA on Friday, ruling that the nation's top cigarette maker was not responsible for the lung cancer death of a longtime smoker of its Marlboro and Benson & Hedges brands.

Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA is raising prices 10 cents a pack on 22 brands including Benson & Hedges and Chesterfield, its first list-price increase since April 2002. The move by Philip Morris, the largest U.S. cigarette maker, is effective Sunday, a spokeswoman said. It comes a month after the Richmond, Va.

The reaction was passionate and swift when Western Michigan University crowned tobacco king Philip Morris USA its "Employer of the Year." About 400 protest letters poured in from the U.S. and 37 foreign countries. Honoring Philip Morris "is not only a mistake but a terrible blow to humanity," fumed a writer from Nigeria. "I think to be able to teach and preach to your students about good moral, this robust romance with PHILIP MORRIS should stop."