March 9, 1998 - As Minnesota's tobacco trial enters its seventh week, attorneys representing the state and Blue Cross Blue Shield are armed with some 200,000 pages of formerly-secret tobacco company documents. But even the state isn't sure how much the memos will help its case. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 6, 1998 - The head of R.J. Reynolds today denied his company supressed research into the health hazards of smoking. That's one of the main claims made by the state and Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Minnesota's tobacco trial. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 5, 1998 - In Minnesota's tobacco trial, the chief executive of the nation's number two cigarette-maker today defended his company against charges it marketed to underage smokers. Andrew Schindler of R.J. Reynolds denied the Joe Camel campaign targeted kids. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 3, 1998 - The chief executive of Philip Morris today spent a second day on the witness stand defending his company against charges it markets to kids and tries to hook smokers. Geoffrey Bible testified in Minnesota's tobacco trial smoking is not addictive. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 2, 1998 - The chief executive of the nation's number one cigarette maker testified today in Minnesota's tobacco trial he doesn't believe his company's products kill people. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... Philip Morris is the tobacco industry leader, with about half the nation's cigarette market share - maker of number one Marlboro, Benson and Hedges and Virgina Slims, among others. Its CEO, Geoffrey Bible is easily the most influencial tobacco executive to testify in Minnesota's trial. His testimony as a hostile witness comes less than a week after Bi
March 2, 1998 - The heads of the nation's top two cigarette manufacturers will testify in Minnesota's tobacco trial this week. As the trial enters its sixth week, the state says it's close to wrapping up its case against tobacco companies. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
February 27, 1998 - The state has wrapped up a week of explaining to jurors how it came up with the 1-point-77 billion dollars it's seeking from tobacco companies in the Minnesota tobacco trial. Defense attorneys say it's seriously flawed. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... The bulk of this week's testimony could easily be called the LEAST riveting of the trial - it included no intriguing industry documents, no discussion of what tobacco companies knew about health risks and when they knew it. But the minutia of statistical calculations is a vital com
February 26, 1998 - The central figure in Minnesota's high-profile tobacco trial is Ramsey County District Judge Kenneth Fitzpatrick, who determines the trial's pace and the evidence jurors will see. Observers now have a good sense of what effect his judicial style is having on the trial. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
February 19, 1998 - Jurors in Minnesota's tobacco trial today heard starkly differing views on whether smoking causes disease. A former tobacco company president testified the Surgeon General was "dead wrong" when he said smoking causes lung cancer, then the head of an industry-funded research group reluctantly agreed with the Surgeon General. The link between cigarettes and disease is key to the state's case that smoking leads to higher health care costs. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
February 18, 1998 - Jurors in Minnesota's tobacco trial today watched videotaped testimony of former Philip Morris researchers answering the state's questions about the company's internal research and documents. This comes a day after the company's former research chief refused to answer questions about his work at Philip Morris. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.