Philip Morris asks Supreme Court to throw out landmark fraud, racketeering rulings

Philip Morris takes tobacco fight to Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest tobacco maker is asking the Supreme Court to throw out court rulings holding that the industry illegally concealed the dangers of cigarette smoking.

The filing with the high court Friday marks the latest round in a landmark legal fight that has dragged on for over a decade.

Philip Morris USA is the manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes and more than a dozen other brands. It said in new court papers that the Supreme Court should review a federal appeals court ruling which largely upheld a judge’s earlier findings that the industry engaged in racketeering and fraud. Other tobacco companies, including Philip Morris’ parent Altria Group, Inc., and the Obama administration, also are expected to file separate appeals Friday. The government is seeking billions from the industry.