Tobacco: Lawsuits Facing the Cigarette Industry in the United States

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO identified the number of lawsuits pending against the cigarette industry in the absence of a national settlement, focusing on the: (1) recent trend in the number of tobacco-related lawsuits pending against the five largest cigarette companies in the United States; and (2) number of these lawsuits that, to date, have been decided or settled and that have resulted, or will result, in some form of payment to the plaintiffs and the amount of these payments.