Class Action Against Tobacco Manufacturers
Update: October 21, 2024 – Unprecedented Settlement of Class Action Lawsuits Against the Tobacco Industry
Kugler Kandestin is extremely proud to announce that we are one of the three Québec law firms which partnered together and won historic class actions against Big Tobacco. We obtained the only proposed settlement, anywhere in the world, whereby victims of smoking will be compensated.
Pursuant to the proposed Plan of Arrangement (Settlement), a sum of $4.25 billion will be paid to Québec smoking victims, a sum of $2.5 billion will be paid to Canadian smoking victims, a sum of approximately $6 billion will be paid to the Province of Québec, and a sum of $1 billion will be set aside for cancer research forming part of a total of $32.5 billion to be paid by the tobacco companies.
Every Québec smoker who contracted lung or throat cancer will be eligible, subject to very few restrictions, to receive up to $100,000 in compensation. The heirs and heirs of heirs of such smoking victims are eligible for the same compensation.
Senior partner Gordon Kugler and other members of the firm were among the very few attorneys who handled the class action lawsuits against Big Tobacco since their inception 26 years ago. They culminated in an unprecedented $14 billion landmark judgment from the Superior Court of Québec against the tobacco companies in 2015, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal of Québec in 2019. Kugler Kandestin partners (Pierre Boivin and Robert Kugler) also actively participated in the negotiation of the historic Settlement which was made public a few days ago.
The Settlement will be submitted to a vote of creditors in December 2024 and, if approved, will be submitted to the court for approval, after which the claims process for eligible persons to claim compensation will be implemented.
Kugler Kandestin is recognized as one of the leading class action law firms in Canada, having won multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in major cases on behalf of tens of thousands of class members, including victims of sexual abuse, indigenous persons, victims of corporate wrongdoing, and persons whose rights were otherwise violated.
We will continue to provide updates with respect to the Settlement.
You can read more about the Settlement at https://recourstabac.com/.
Court of Appeal of Québec Confirms $14 Billion Damages Award Against Canadian Tobacco Industry Giants
Kugler Kandestin, who is handling, in collaboration with two other law firms, two Class Actions filed in 1998 against Canada’s three largest tobacco manufacturers, Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd (“ITL”), Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. (“RBH”), and JTI-McDonald Corp. (“JTI”), is pleased to announce that on March 1, 2019, 5 judges of the Court of Appeal of Québec rendered a landmark of nearly $14 billion confirming the equally historic judgment of the Superior Court of Québec concluding that the Canadian tobacco industry (ITL, RBH and JTI) lied, concealed the truth, and minimized and systematically trivialized tobacco-related dangers for over 50 years.
The Court of Appeal of Québec confirmed that the tobacco companies collectively developed a program of disinformation geared towards undermining any information that was contrary to their interests. They thus intentionally and in bad faith maintained false scientific controversies and developed misleading advertising strategies in order to lie to the public.
As a result, the 100,000 Québec victims targeted by the CQTS-Blais Class Action who were diagnosed with lung cancer, throat cancer, or emphysema are eligible for compensation.
The Court also recognized Cécilia Létourneau’s cause of action, as Class Representative on behalf of the one million people who are addicted to cigarettes. Indeed, the Court confirmed that cigarettes are a product with no real benefits except to satisfy the addiction that they create.
This is the largest damages award ever granted in Canada.
Tobacco victims or their estates who believe that they are entitled to compensation in these Class Actions are invited to register online at recourstabac.com.