A Canadian court has ordered three tobacco companies, including a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, to pay C$15.6bn to two groups of smokers following a 10-year class-action lawsuit.
加拿大一家法院裁定,在一场为期10年的集体诉讼之后,包括英美烟草公司(British American Tobacco)的一家子公司在内的三家烟草公司须向两组烟民支付156亿加元赔偿金。
British American Tobacco has challenged what constitutes the largest damages award in Canada’s history, in a case that shows the continuing legal risks faced by tobacco companies.
第一组是患有肺癌和咽喉癌烟民,第二组则是对尼古丁上瘾的烟民。英美烟草公司对这笔加拿大历史上数额最高的赔偿金提出了质疑。该案反映了烟草公司面临的不间断的法律风险。
BAT said there were “strong legal grounds” to appeal the judgment and to challenge the court’s “provisional execution order”, which requires an immediate C$1.131bn payout in the event of an appeal.
英美烟草公司表示,他们有“充分的法律依据”对该裁定提起上诉,并对法庭的“临时执行令”表示质疑——临时执行令规定,如果提起上诉,则须立即支付11.31亿加元赔偿金。
“No payments will be made until the request to stay the provisional execution order has been heard and a judgment made,” said BAT in a statement on Tuesday regarding its subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada.
加拿大这起集体诉讼涉及近100万名烟民。他们声称,当他们在20世纪中叶开始吸烟时,香烟包装上的警示内容未能充分揭示吸烟的风险。
来源:可可英语 //www.utensil-race.com/read/201506/378536.shtml