Crusading group of 50 takes tobacco companies to court

A LANDMARK case is being taken in the Irish courts on behalf of 50 people
suffering from an illness linked to smoking or who have lost a relative as
a result of such an illness.

Proceedings will be issued today at the High Court in Dublin, taking on the
major tobacco companies.

The case being taken by Dublin solicitor Peter McDonnell of Peter McDonnell
and Associates comes in the aftermath of a series of decisions against
tobacco companies in the US.

Mr McDonnell said each claimant against the companies will be looking for
damages of between £100,000 and £1m per person and ``there are thousands of
cases.''

The case is very strong ``because we have fraud and misrepresentation,''
added the solicitor. ``The fraud is that since the early 1950s the tobacco
industry knew tar in cigarettes was carcinogenic, causes cancer and that
nicotine was addictive.

``With this knowledge they wilfully went out to addict customers.''

The news of the action came after a Dublin seminar on litigation yesterday
organised by the group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), which Mr
McDonnell attended.

Speakers included legal representatives from the US and UK who have been
involved in antismoking litigation.

Prof Bryan McMahon of an Ennisbased solicitors firm, who addressed the
seminar, urged the antismoking campaign to take the constitutional action
route, which could ``open up USstyle damages'' against the industry.

The Government had set up tribunals for other areas, such as infected
blood, but had done nothing similar in relation to the effects of smoking,
declared the professor.