Tobacco makers fight statements

RICHMOND, Va. – The nation’s largest cigarette manufacturers say the Justice Department’s proposed corrective statements about the dangers of smoking are inflammatory and inaccurate.

Tobacco companies on Thursday also asked a federal appeals court to toss out the 12-year-old lawsuit, saying the Food and Drug Administration’s authority over the industry makes the court’s involvement unnecessary.

The government last week released 14 “corrective statements” that it says the companies should be required to make as part of the lawsuit.

The Justice Department wants the companies to admit that they lied to the American public and force the industry to set up and pay for an advertising campaign of self-criticism for past behavior.

A judge had ruled in 2006 that the industry had concealed the dangers of smoking for decades.