OTTAWA: A Canadian court on Monday ordered tobacco firms to pay Can$15.5 billion (USD 12.4bn) to smokers in Quebec who claimed they were never warned about the health risks associated with smoking.

Imperial Tobacco Canada, Rothmans Benson & Hedges and JTI-MacDonald said they would appeal the award for moral and punitive damages, which is the largest in Canadian history.

They must, however, put a portion of the award to nearly one million smokers who were unable to quit or who suffered from throat and lung cancer or emphysema.

A hearing must also be held to determine how the funds will be disbursed.

The two class action lawsuits behind the award were originally filed in 1998, but only went to trial recently.

At a televised press conference, the wife of a deceased smoker showed a photo of her husband appearing gaunt and frail in his final years due to a smoking-related illness.

The plaintiffs argued in court that the tobacco companies neglected to properly warn their customers about the dangers of smoking, and failed in their general duty “not to cause injury to another person,” according to the Quebec Superior Court decision.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015

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