Each lawsuit that actually goes to trial means that more secret documents become public, shedding more light on what this greedy, lying industry does to the nation's health. In addition, the industry knows that when increasingly incriminating information becomes part of the public domain, other states' chances of getting more money become better. Any attorneys general who decide to reject the settlement and push on with their cases in court are likely to not only recoup more of their states' money but also make more of Big Tobacco's misdeeds public. We wonder why no one stops to think about why Big Tobacco has so much money. For decades the industry has bought special privileges and protections that have allowed it to charge dearly for a cheap product.
Profits are huge because costs are transferred to the public.
Other companies have to pay for damages from defective products, even when defects were not intended, but Big Tobacco has the taxpayer paying. Imagine the public and media outrage if Congress suddenly decided that all legislative hearings were now to be conducted in secret. The industry wants to surprise the public with only one day of headlines so that a complete, thoughtful and sound review is not feasible. Apparently, the negotiating parties are going to ignore state administrative procedures acts requiring public review and comment of usually at least 30 to 60 days before adoption of major policies. The blinding amount of money offered, even though it represents not even half of what is needed for just compensation, is supposed to hide this obligation.