Big things are afoot north of the border, and they have nothing to do with mythical, hirsute creatures. Two class action lawsuits that consumers filed against the tobacco industry in 1998, which were combined and certified to proceed in 2005, are being hailed as the biggest lawsuit in Canadian history (and the first class action against the tobacco industry) to ever get to trial.
After nearly 14 years and more than 50 pretrial motions, the two suits are being tried together with common evidence before Justice Brian Riordan in Québec Superior Court. The two classes are composed of Québec residents dealing with divergent issues. The first class, represented by lead plaintiffs Conseil québécois sur le tabac et la santé (Québec Counsel on Tobacco and Health) and Jean-Yves Blais, comprises smokers who have suffered from cancer of the lung, larynx or throat, or emphysema. A purported class of more than 90,000 people seeks $9.45 billion in damages. Lead plaintiff Cécilia Létourneau represents the second class, which centers on addiction. The purported class in this lawsuit is estimated to include about 1.78 million Québec smokers seeking $17.8 billion in damages.
