Tobacco settlement approved

The state supreme court has approved Missouri’s settlement withthe tobacco industry, and has told some groups trying to get a cut of themoney they don’t have the right to do so. The court says the city of St.Louis and some individuals can file their own suits. And the court saysstate senator Peter Kinder’s claim that the state has to appropriate moneyto pay legal fees is not valid. Now, Attorney General Jay Nixon says it’stime to get on with collecting the money and using it. The settlement ofthe national tobacco lawsuit could bring the state as much as $6.7 billionover the next 25 years. [To listen to the oral arguments before the Missouri Supreme Court, visitour website at https://www.missourinet.com/SupremeCourt ]