A U.S. District Court judge in New York last week certified a nationwide, punitive damage class action lawsuit brought against the world's leading cigarette manufacturers. In his ruling, Judge Jack Weinstein granted class certification to anyone in the United States who has smoked the defendant companies' cigarettes and has been diagnosed with a disease such as emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease and tongue cancer since April 1993.

Defendants named in the lawsuit include Philip Morris Cos. Inc.; Brown & Williamson, a unit of British American Tobacco PLC; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc.; and Lorillard Tobacco. The class excludes smokers who have already obtained a judgment or settlement against any named defendant. The case will be appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal, which reportedly may take months to make a final decision on the lawsuit's certification status.