WHY IS CONNECTICUT SUING THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY?
No person or company is above the law, including the tobacco industry. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is filing suit on behalf of the State of Connecticut because the tobacco industry has engaged in unlawful conduct, including fraud and conspiracy, and has violated state antitrust and consumer protection laws. The tobacco industry’s products are addictive and kill consumers. In order to recruit new users, the industry targets children through its advertising and encourages them to use tobacco products. As a direct result of these illegal acts, the tobacco industry’s products have killed far more Connecticut residents than AIDS, homicide, suicide, automobile accidents, and alcohol abuse combined. More than 5,400 Connecticut residents die each year from tobacco-related causes. No one in Connecticut is spared the costs associated with smoking-related disease and death. The State of Connecticut is suing the tobacco industry to recover the nearly $100 million that state taxpayers spend
