Daily Doc: TI, Nov 19, 1969: Tobacco and death certificates
X-tra doc: Tobacco and death certificates
Title: Tobacco Company Overruled on Death Certificate Use
TI, Nov 19, 1969
Bates #: 102687020 - 102687023
February 20, 2000
This article from the Nov. 19, 1969 Grand Rapids (Michigan) Press, describes a case where the Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company (L&M) tried to block the use of a death certificate as a foundation for medical testimony linking smoking to a fatal lung cancer in a father of four. L&M was facing a $750,000 damage claim alleging that a man named Leslie Thayer died from lung cancer caused by 30 years of smoking Chesterfield cigarettes, an L&M product.
One of the Liggett attorney's arguments before the jury, before the judge quickly stopped him, was that "the industry supplies 314,000 jobs and contribues $4 billion annually to the economy."
Documents show that the tobacco industry continues to fight listing tobacco as a contributing cause on death certificates.
CITATION
Title: Tobacco Company Overruled on Death Certificate Use
Type of Document: Periodical, newspaper article
Date: 19691119
Author: Bornheimer, H. Grand Rapids Press Page Count: 1
Site: Tobacco Institute Document site http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/
Bates No. TITX0013356
URL: http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/getimg.asp?pgno=0&start=0&bool=TITX0013356&docid=TITX0013356&docnum=1 (magnify it to 1.5x for easier reading)
QUOTES
Liggett and Myers Tobacco Co. lost a bid Wednesday in federal court here to block the use of a death certificate as a foundation for medical testimony linking smoking to fatal lung cancer in a father of four from Ashley, north of Lansing.
The tobacco company went on trial Monday facing a $750,000 damage claim alleging Leslie Thayer died at 49 in March 1964 from lung cacner caused by 30 years of smoking Chesterfield cigarettes, one of L&M products....
...Sawyer [Harold S. Sawyer, Jr., the attorney defending Liggett and Meyers] was stopped by the bench early in his comments to jurors when he indicated the industry supplies 314,000 jobs and contributes $4 billion annually to the economy. Judge Fox ruled that the figures were irrelevant and prejudicial to the issue of whether the product was harmful to the public...
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