The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has reached a landmark $600 million settlement with major tobacco companies, marking the office’s largest resolution in recent history.
The agreement, announced in a press release, addresses numerous unspecified disputes arising from the 1998 master settlement agreement (MSA), under which tobacco companies committed to cease marketing products to children and agreed to pay billions annually to states to offset medical costs related to smoking.
Massachusetts AG $600M Deal With Tobacco Cos. : Resolving Longstanding Disputes
According to Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, several tobacco companies that are signatories to the 1998 MSA have withheld “substantial funds,” leading to arbitration over hundreds of millions of dollars. Monday’s $600 million deal resolves seven of these longstanding disputes, ensuring a substantial payment to Massachusetts this year and “tens of millions” annually moving forward.
“The country’s major tobacco manufacturers have pushed smoking products to young people for decades,” Campbell stated. “This settlement is evidence of our ongoing commitment to hold these companies accountable for their actions that caused irreparable harm to public health and safety.”
A Historic Victory for Massachusetts
Governor Maura Healey, Campbell’s predecessor in the AG’s office, praised the agreement, highlighting the long-term efforts to hold Big Tobacco accountable for its misleading and harmful marketing practices.
