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BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO PLC - Quebec tobacco class action judgements issued

Release Date: 02/06/2015 08:00
Code(s): BTI     PDF:  
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Quebec tobacco class action judgements issued

British American Tobacco p.l.c.
Incorporated in England and Wales
(Registration number: 03407696)
Short name: BATS
Share code: BTI
ISIN number: GB0002875804
("British American Tobacco p.l.c." or "the Company")




                Quebec tobacco class action judgements issued

                      Strong grounds for appeal and process started

The judgement in two Canadian class action lawsuits has been publicly issued at the Quebec Superior
                                                                                 th
Court in Canada on 1st June 2015 following a private release which was made on 27 May 2015.

The judgement follows a ten year legal challenge against British American Tobacco’s Canadian
subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada as well as Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco
International’s Canadian subsidiaries.

The cases were brought against the three Canadian tobacco manufacturers on behalf of two groups of
Plaintiffs: smokers, who smoked a minimum of 12 pack-years and who were diagnosed with lung, throat
                                                th
and laryngeal cancer or emphysema prior to 12 March 2012; and smokers who were addicted to
nicotine at the time the proceedings were commenced (September 1998) and remained addicted until at
         st
least 21 February 2005.

British American Tobacco plc was not a party to the proceeding and is not a party to the judgement, only
its Canadian subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada.

On 1st June 2015, the judge publicly issued a ruling in favour of the Plaintiffs awarding a total of
CAD$15.6billion in moral and punitive damages, including interest. Imperial Tobacco Canada’s share of
the total damages would be CAD$10.4 billion.

The judgement also stated that if an appeal was to be made, a provisional execution order would require
the defendants to pay CAD$1.131billion between them. Imperial Tobacco Canada’s share of the
provisional execution order would be CAD$743 million.

There are strong legal grounds with which to challenge both the overall judgement, and to seek a stay of
                                                                                                         th
the provisional execution order, which Imperial Tobacco Canada will do within 30 days of the original 27
May ruling.

As such, no payments will be made until the request to stay the provisional execution order has been
heard and a judgement made.


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2 June 2015

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