Liggett in New Talks to Settle Tobacco Suits

Brooke Group Ltd.’s Liggett tobacco division and anti-tobacco attorneys are negotiating a new settlement that might include every state that has sued cigarette makers, said an attorney working for one of the states. The negotiations come nine months after five states reached a settlement with Liggett, the fifth-largest U.S. cigarette company. That agreement called for Liggett to pay each of the states $1 million over the next 10 years as well as a percentage of its pretax profit for the second through 25th years of the arrangement. The settlement being discussed in the new talks, which have taken place over the last few months during a series of secretive meetings, would call for Liggett to turn over thousands of internal documents as well as a new monetary settlement, an attorney familiar with the talks said. In return, Liggett could receive immunity from the lawsuits brought by those states. No agreement has been reached, the attorney said. A Brooke Group spokesman declined to comment. About 20 states have sued to recover public funds used to treat illnesses caused by smoking.