Tobacco test case dismissed
The widow of a smoker who died more than a decade ago has lost her case against global cigarette company Imperial Tobacco.
Margaret McTear’s husband, Alfred, smoked 60 cigarettes a day and died of lung cancer. In a British first, his widow attempted to sue Imperial for £500,000.
But Lord Nimmo Smith dismissed Mrs McTear’s claim, saying the case failed “on every issue”.
“I am satisfied that Mr McTear was aware, in common with the general public, well before 1971 of the publicity about the health risks associated with smoking, and in particular the risk of lung cancer,” Lord Smith said in his judgment.
“Therefore by the time he is shown by acceptable evidence to have started smoking the John Player brand of cigarettes he was already aware of the publicity about the health risks. As with many other aspects of his life, he chose to ignore it.”
