NATION : Suing Tobacco Firms Upheld in Minn.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that smokers or their survivors may sue tobacco companies in state courts over health risks.
The ruling was believed to make Minnesota the first state to allow lawsuits over the industry promotion of the safety of smoking. The court said the warning on cigarette packages does not prevent health-risk lawsuits.
The decision, which was considered likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court, reinstated a suit brought by John Forster of Golden Valley, who sued the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in April, 1985--two months before he died of lung cancer.
The suit was dismissed in Hennepin County District Court on the grounds it was prohibited by federal law.
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