George O'Keefe lung cancer case in Victoria, Australia, 1991

George O'Keefe lung cancer case in Victoria, Australia, 1991

This action, the Australian equivalent of a worker's compensation case, was brought by the widow of George O'Keefe, who died in 1987 from lung cancer. Mr. O'Keefe, a smoker, had been a hotel barman for approximately 30 years. The complaint alleged that Mr. O'Keefe's workplace exposure to secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke or ETS, was the cause of his lung cancer. The defendants included the proprietors of the five hotels who had employed Mr. O'Keefe. The Accident Compensation Commission (the administrator of WorkCare in Victoria) was joined as a nominal defendant.

This action, brought in Melbourne, Australia, was reportedly settled on June 12, 1991, for a total of $20,000.

No tobacco company was involved in the case.