A Mississippi judge will determine if R.J. Reynolds shortchanged the state of Mississippi when it failed to report profits from the sale of 7.8 billion cigarettes made for Star Tobacco.
The state argued Monday before Jackson County Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley that R.J. Reynolds failed to fulfill its obligations to Mississippi as provided in the landmark 1997 master tobacco settlement.
The North Carolina-based company, whose products include six of the 10 best-selling U.S. cigarette and moist snuff brands, is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States.
The state argued that from 2000 to 2005 R.J Reynolds excluded 7.8 billion cigarettes from the 1997 settlement that were made by its subsidiary Brown and Williamson for an independent tobacco company.
"Those cigarettes were not included in the production numbers to come up with the tobacco settlement," Gary Wilson, an attorney representing the state.
Wilson said the cigarettes were fabricated for Star Tobacco, which then packaged and sold them.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий