RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The nation's top cigarette companies have made their payments as part of the 25-year settlement in which some cigarette makers are paying states for smoking-related health care costs.
Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker owned by Altria Group Inc., said Monday that it made its full annual payment of about $3.5 billion as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.
The Richmond-based maker of Marlboro, Virginia Slims and Parliament cigarettes said the payment includes about $206 million that it says it doesn't owe that was deposited into a separate account and will try to get back through negotiations or arbitration.
No comments:
Post a Comment