US court upholds cigarette ruling

A US Appeals Court has largely upheld a landmark ruling that cigarette makers lied about the health risks of smoking.



Washington\'s Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by tobacco firms against a 2006 decision that banned labels such as ‘low tar’ and ‘light.

Companies including Philip Morris USA were found guilty of racketeering and fraud over the issue.



BBC reports said judges upheld the previous ruling, but excluded one firm and two trade groups from their judgement.



They ruled that the trade bodies - Council for Tobacco Research-USA and Tobacco Institute - had not made or sold products, and could therefore be excluded.



The firm Liggett was excused because it had co-operated with the authorities and acknowledged health risks.



However, the judges rejected an argument from the other tobacco firms that they had never claimed that ‘light’ cigarettes were less harmful.