R J Reynolds Tobacco Holdings

Lawyers for Louisiana smokers asked a jury to direct Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. and other U.S. cigarette makers to pay more than $1 billion to fund a quit-smoking program. A state court jury in New Orleans, which decided in July to require the companies to help Louisiana smokers quit smoking, is now considering what the program will look like and how much it will cost. The defendants also include Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.

A federal judge dismissed antitrust charges against tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. and other cigarette makers that alleged the companies had conspired to fix the wholesale price of cigarettes, R.J. Reynolds said. Six separate cases filed by wholesalers charging price fixing against R.J. Reynolds and rivals Philip Morris Cos., Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. were consolidated into a class-action suit in January 2001.

Cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. said the Securities and Exchange Commission had started a formal investigation into its reporting of expenses. The SEC issued a subpoena July 3 and is reviewing whether certain costs should be quantified individually rather than grouped together, R.J. Reynolds said in a regulatory filing. The Winston-Salem, N.C.

The staff of the Federal Trade Commission may urge commissioners to try to block R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc.'s $3-billion purchase of British American Tobacco's Brown & Williamson unit, a newsletter reported. The agency's staff may be concerned that combining the two companies' menthol brands may restrict competition and lead to price increases, Art Amolsch, editor of FTC:Watch, said. Shares of R.J. Reynolds, which makes Salem and Camel cigarettes, fell $1.37 to $63.15 on the NYSE.

The U.S. tobacco industry spent a record amount on promotions in 2001 in an effort to reverse lagging sales, the Federal Trade Commission said. The six largest U.S. tobacco companies, including Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris unit and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc., spent $11.2 billion on promotions and advertising in 2001, a 17% increase from $9.6 billion in 2000. Meanwhile, manufacturers sold 398.3 billion cigarettes, or 3.8% less, to U.S. wholesalers and retailers.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc., the second-largest U.S. cigarette maker, must face trial in Illinois on claims it misled smokers about the dangers of "light" cigarettes, a state appeals court ruled, though the trial judge has delayed the case for 90 days. The appellate court in Mount Vernon, Ill., rejected a request by R.J. Reynolds to postpone the trial until the state Supreme Court rules in a similar case against Philip Morris USA.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. must pay a $14.8-million fine for handing out free packs of cigarettes at an event where children were present, a California appeals court ruled. R.J. Reynolds had sought to overturn the fine for violating California's ban on tobacco-product giveaways on public grounds where minors might be in attendance. The company argued that the state law was preempted by a federal cigarette labeling law.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc., responding to discounts by No. 1 cigarette maker Philip Morris Cos., lowered its profit forecasts to increase spending on promotions. Third-quarter net income will decline as much as 38%, R.J. Reynolds said. In July, the company said earnings would fall as much as 4% from the year-earlier period. Annual profit would drop as much as 19%. It had been expected to increase 5% to 7%. R.J.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. is offering a lump-sum payment to some workers and retirees in a move designed to ensure their pension benefits. The country's second-largest cigarette maker said the offer had nothing to do with projections of its financial future after a potentially devastating $36.28-billion punitive damages verdict in a lawsuit by Florida smokers. The eligible workers and retirees total fewer than 200.

Tobacco companies won another round in court as a group of casino workers were again denied class certification in their suit against the industry to recover tobacco-related medical expenses. Judge Marina Corodemus for the second time refused to grant the workers class status. In a similar ruling in April, the New Jersey judge said there were too many different products and plaintiffs involved in the suit to allow certification of a class.