Tobacco Suit May End with a Whimper
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20 June, 2005 15:58 GMT
The Justice Department recently cut the government's proposed penalty from $130 billion to $10 billion, in what critics said was a politically inspired move.
The judge in the Justice Department's suit against the tobacco industry has scheduled a meeting to urge a settlement, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sources told the newspaper that the chief executives of the tobacco companies will be in US District Judge Gladys Kessler's chambers in Washington on Monday.
Cajole, Induce and Intimidate
Columbia University Law Professor John Coffee said that the only reason you would bring a chief executive in at this point in this case is to try to cajole, induce and intimidate them into a settlement.
The racketeering case against major cigarette makers was first brought by the Clinton administration. The Justice Department recently cut the government's proposed penalty from $130 billion to $10 billion, in what critics said was a politically inspired move.
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