U. S. Court of appeals upholds judgment for Swedish Match North America/The Pinkerton Tobacco Company in product liability lawsuit
On July 30, 2004, in the smokeless tobacco product liability case known as the Tuttle case, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld the March, 2003 judgment of the United States District Court in Minnesota that had dismissed all claims against the smokeless tobacco manufacturers including a Swedish Match AB’s North American subsidiary, The Pinkerton Tobacco Company. Plaintiff had claimed that Mr. Tuttle, a former baseball player, contracted mouth cancer from chewing tobacco. The U.S. appeals court concluded in a 16-page opinion that plaintiff’s product liability claims were legally insufficient because plaintiff had failed to produce admissible proof of causation and reliance. The case has been pending since 1999.
Swedish Match is a unique company with its range of market-leading brands in the product areas of snuff and chewing tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco – tobacco’s niche products – as well as matches and lighters. The Group’s global operations generated sales of 13,133 MSEK in 140 countries for the twelve month period ending June 30, 2004. Swedish Match shares are listed on Stockholmsbörsen (SWMA) and Nasdaq (SWMAY).
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Swedish Match AB (publ), SE-118 85 Stockholm
Visiting address: Rosenlundsgatan 36, Telephone: + 46 8 658 02 00
Corporate Identity Number: 556015-0756
www.swedishmatch.com
For further information, please contact:
Bo Aulin, Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel
Mobile +46 70 558 03 64
Emmett Harrison, Vice President, Investor Relations
Mobile +46 70 938 01 73
