Ruling will restore Missouri tobacco settlement money

4327155


     (AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled the state can

recoup around $50 million in lost tobacco settlement money.

     The 4-0 decision was reached Tuesday.

At dispute was money guaranteed to Missouri and 45 other states through a 1998

settlement with major tobacco manufacturers. The settlement is aimed at covering

the costs of providing health care to people with tobacco-related illnesses. The

state typically gets about $130 million annually.

     Missouri lost millions of dollars after an arbitration panel decided the state

in 2003 didn’t properly enforce part of the settlement requiring other, smaller,

tobacco companies that didn’t sign the 1998 agreement to pay into an escrow

account.

     The Supreme Court ruling restores some of that money.




   

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI