MONTRÉAL, July 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, the Québec Court of Appeal overturned the trial court's order that Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. pay an initial deposit of approximately CAD 246 million into a trust account pending appeal of the Québec class actions judgment. The trial court had ordered, as part of its judgment, that RBH and the other defendants make initial deposits of a portion of the damages award within 60 days. The Court of Appeal's decision cancels the trial court's order for payment while RBH pursues its appeal of the trial court's decision in its entirety.
"The Court of Appeal correctly rejected the trial court's order, which was contrary to the law and unsupported by the evidence," said Anne Edwards, RBH spokesperson.
"RBH believes it has strong arguments for reversal of the trial court's entire judgment given plaintiffs' total failure of proof that any class member smoked because of any alleged wrongdoing by RBH," added Edwards. "We look forward to presenting our arguments on the merits to the Court of Appeal."
The cases are Létourneau v. JTI-MacDonald Corp., et al. (the addiction class), and Conseil Québécois sur le Tabac et la Santé (CQTS) et Blais v. JTI-Macdonald Corp., et al. (the disease class) (Superior Court of the District of Montréal, Province of Québec).
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc., an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc., is one of Canada's leading tobacco companies and employs nearly 800 people across the country with its headquarters in Toronto and a factory in Québec City. To receive more information on these cases go to www.tobaccolitigation.ca.
SOURCE Rothmans, Benson & Hedges
Image with caption: "Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (CNW Group/Rothmans, Benson & Hedges)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150723_C5423_PHOTO_EN_453525.jpg
Media inquiries, RBH media office, T: 416-442-3545, E: [email protected]
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