Evidence comes from the plaintiffs themselves, who noted the curious fact that all the companies put up their prices at exactly the same time for exactly the same amount. Plus, there are documents that describe exactly such price fixing agreements in other countries. John Ferguson is co-lead counsel on this suit. Tobacco companies make a great return on their investments, he says, partly because they do conspire to fix prices. The object is to make the industry play by the same rules that all other American businesses have to play with.
Tobacco companies are brutally competitive.
From the Boston bureau at WGBH, I'm Helen Palmer for Marketplace. And finally, a story out of Florida that is sure to catch the attention of anybody who's been downsized out of a job. The nation's largest sugar cane producer is yanking some executive perks in hopes of avoiding employee layoffs. Tanya Ott reports. But because the price of sugar has dropped almost 23 percent since last summer, the company is having to tighten its belt.