Former Big Tobacco employee says tobacco companies avoided using "cancer"
Updated November 18, 1998
11:59 a.m. ET
MIAMI (Court TV) -- According to a former tobacco researcher, Philip Morris Inc. leaders avoided using words such as "cancer" and "addiction" in their internal memos to cover up potential evidence in suits against the tobacco industry.
Testifying on behalf of thousands of sick Florida smokers in a $200 billion class-action suit, William Farone, a research scientist for Philip Morris from 1976 to 1984, claimed that his former employers used elaborate plans to defend itself in tobacco suits. Farone said Philip Morris, the nation's largest cigarette maker, conducted tests on animals in Europe so that their results would be inadmissible in U.S. courts. He also accused a former colleague, Dr. Thomas Osdene, of helping Philip Morris cover up its knowledge of smoking's hazards by destroying the test results.
"They did not want to have records on file that could be discovered in litigation," Farone said. "Dr. Osdene indicated that they would receive these documents from Europe so that they would not be available for litigation in the United States. He would keep them at home and then he would destroy them."
Farone also claimed that Philip Morris only used the word cancer to attack outside published works. However, Farone testified, within the company, anything that caused cancer was producing biological activity.
Philip Morris refused to comment on Farone's testimony because of a gag order on the case.
Farone's testimony supports the plaintiffs' allegations that the tobacco companies knew about the dangers of smoking and conspired to that knowledge from the public. Big Tobacco's attorneys could impeach Farone's allegations with his prior testimony from the Widdick v. Brown & Williamson case in which Brown & Williamson lost a $1 million suit.
In that case, Farone accused the tobacco companies of knowingly marketing a dangerous and defective product, but he also conceded that the industry took steps to prepare safer low tar and nicotine cigarettes. Farone also conceded in the Widdick case that smokers could choose whether or not to smoke safer cigarettes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
