Table 2.

Chronology of Legal Decisions Leading to the Final Language for the Corrective Statements

Date	Source	Findings
August 17, 2006	US Federal Court, District of Columbia16	Judge Kessler ordered the Defendants to publish corrective statements in newspapers, on television, on cigarette packaging, in retail displays, and on their corporate Web sites, to address and correct misperceptions on five topics1: the adverse health effects of smoking2; the addictiveness of smoking and nicotine9; the lack of any significant health benefit from smoking “low tar,” “light,” “ultra light,” “mild,” and “natural” cigarettes10; manipulation of cigarette design and composition to ensure optimum nicotine delivery; and11 the adverse health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke. The court requires the parties in the case to submit suggested language for the statements. The original order for corrective statement is put on hold while the case is appealed
November 27, 2012	US Federal Court, District of Columbia17	Judge Kessler issues order with the specific text of the corrective statements. The cigarette companies appeal to change the language of the statements
May 22, 2015	US Court of Appeals. District of Columbia Circuit18	The court issues a ruling upholding most of Judge Kessler’s order implementing the corrective statements. But the court rejected a preamble sentence that a federal court had ruled the tobacco companies “deliberately deceived the American public,” ruling it was not permissible under the scope of the RICO law
April 25, 2017	US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit19	The court issues a ruling on another appeal of the corrective statements language by the tobacco companies, again upholding most of the language but deleting use of the phrase “Here is the truth,” to which the tobacco companies had objected
October 5, 2017	US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit20	Judge Friedman signs consent order containing implementation details for making the corrective statements through court-ordered television and newspaper advertisements, and on tobacco company Web sites and cigarette packs. The deadline for tobacco companies to begin running corrective statements on their Web sites is June 18, 2018. The deadline for tobacco companies to begin running corrective statements on cigarette packs is November 21, 2018
December 21, 2017	Circuit Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit, in and for Broward County, Florida46	Philip Morris USA denies the request to stipulate to the truth of the following two corrective statements: 1. Philip Morris USA intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive 2. Philip Morris USA intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction
	Circuit Court for the 17th Judicial Circuit, in and for Broward County, Florida6	R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company denies the request to stipulate to the truth of the following two statements: 3. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive 4. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction

RICO = Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations.