Louisiana Couple Sues Smokeless Tobacco Maker: UST...

Louisiana Couple Sues Smokeless Tobacco Maker: UST Inc. was sued in Louisiana state court by a couple seeking compensation for injuries allegedly sustained by the use of smokeless tobacco products. The suit was brought by Arthur Sontag and Beverly Ann Sontag against a number of smokeless tobacco manufacturers, industry trade associations and other entities. Greenwich, Conn.-based UST, which makes the top-selling Copenhagen and Skoal brands, said the suit is without merit. The latest suit comes as tobacco companies face growing threats of litigation from consumers seeking damages for nicotine addiction and smoking-related illnesses. It is now the only U.S. lawsuit that specifically seeks damages from companies that make smokeless tobacco. Earlier this month, plaintiffs in another smokeless tobacco suit dropped their case in Kansas and said they would refile it in a bid to win national class-action status. The biggest of the suits against tobacco companies, pending in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, seeks billions of dollars from cigarette companies on behalf of all U.S. smokers addicted to nicotine. In addition, five states are suing tobacco companies to recover public money spent treating victims of smoking-related illnesses.