Tobacco industry activity Michigan

An article from the November 19, 1969 Grand Rapids (Michigan) Press describes a case where the Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company (L&M) tried to block the use of a death certificate as a foundation for medical testimony linking smoking to a fatal lung cancer in a deceased father of four. L&M was facing a $750,000 damage claim alleging that a man named Leslie Thayer died from lung cancer caused by 30 years of smoking Chesterfield cigarettes, an L&M product. One of the Liggett attorney's arguments before the jury to exclude the death certificate information, before the judge quickly stopped him, was that "the industry supplies 314,000 jobs and contribues $4 billion annually to the economy."

Related Sourcewatch resources

 * Tobacco industry
 * Tobacco industry legislation
 * Tobacco industry public relations strategies
 * Leslie Thayer
 * Tobacco industry position on indicating tobacco use on death certificates
 * Tobacco industry and death certificates

External resources
search_term=Michigan confidential
 * University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network