Three large Canadian tobacco companies have proposed paying compensation worth around 32.5 billion Canadian dollars (21.683 million euros) to close several lawsuits filed by thousands of smokers in the country.
The proposal presented on Thursday night by the companies to unblock the judicial fight offers to pay 24.8 billion Canadian dollars to the provincial governments, 4.25 billion Australian dollarsabout 100,000 people in Quebec and about 2.5 billion dollars to smokers in other provinces who have been diagnosed with cancer and other serious diseases associated with smoking.
Furthermore, companies will allocate more than 1,000 million of Canadian dollars to a foundation to combat diseases related to smoking.
The proposal has to be approved by the courts as well as the plaintiffs.
In a statement, the law firm representing the Quebec plaintiffs, Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, noted its clients’ support for the proposal presented by the companies.
“We support the plan and we are sure that almost all creditors will vote in favor of its adoption”the statement said.
“If the creditors’ vote is favorable, it will have to be presented to the Ontario Superior Court, which will listen to interested parties before deciding whether to ratify the creditors’ vote. “This view will probably occur in early 2025,” he added.
The case began in 1998 when seriously ill smokers and people who were unable to quit smoking filed two class-action lawsuits against the companies.
The two lawsuits were grouped in 2012 and in 2015, the Canadian courts agreed with the plaintiffs, ordering the payment of 15,000 million Canadian dollars to the victims and their heirs, considering that the tobacco companies prioritized their profits over health. of their clients.
At the same time, other provincial governments in Canada filed lawsuits against tobacco companies to attempt to recover the costs associated with medical care for smokers.
After the court decision, The three companies asked the courts for creditor protection to avoid facing payment, measure that was granted by an Ontario court in 2019.
#Tobacco #companies #propose #paying #million #euros #victims #Canada
