Attorney General Drew Edmondson Sues Manufacturers Over Tobacco Settlement

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Attorney General Drew Edmondson is now suing three foreign tobacco companies for violations of part of the state's 1998 settlement with tobacco companies.<br/><br/>The lawsuits

Friday, May 26th 2006, 2:21 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Attorney General Drew Edmondson is now suing three foreign tobacco companies for violations of part of the state's 1998 settlement with tobacco companies.

The lawsuits accuse Prime Mover of the Phillipines and Tabacalera Honnington and Tabacalera Nazionale both of Paraguay of not paying into an escrow account as required by law.

The law covers tobacco companies who chose not to take part in the 1998 settlement and requires companies to pay roughly the same amount they would pay if they had joined the settlement.

The money is to be used to pay for future legal claims the state may make against the companies.

The lawsuit asks that the companies be forced to fully fund the escrow accounts.