If you live on the Arkansas side and smoked Marlboro Light or Ultra-Light cigarettes between 1971 and 2003, you may have some cash coming your way.
This week, a federal judge gave preliminary approval to a settlement in a lawsuit charging tobacco company Philip Morris USA with misleading consumers by advertising the cigarettes as less harmful than others.
The case has been going on for more than a dozen years and involved at least seven law firms. There have been similar suits in other states, but according to a story in Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, this is the first lawsuit where the company agreed to a settlement.
Philip Morris USA will pay $45 million to settle all claims, but admits no wrongdoing.
The terms call for Arkansas consumers to be reimbursed 10 cents for every pack purchased between 1971 and 1998.
Those who continued to smoke the brands between 1998 and 2003 could get 25 cents per pack purchased.
Those who hope to get a check must apply online and give a sworn statement detailing the average number of cigarettes they smoked per day and listing at least three retailers where they bought the smokes.
Not too difficult if there is free money involved. But what's to keep less-than-honest folks from simply saying they smoked the brands and collecting their check?
Two court-appointed masters are supposed to wade through the applications and check out any that seems a bit sketchy. We'll see how that works out.
It should be noted that the $45 million is all the money available. And you can be sure all the lawyers will be taking a healthy slice. Two lead plaintiffs in the suit will get a share, as well. The cost of the two masters and the payout program will be taken off the top.
So just how much will be left for smokers to collect is unclear.
But we expect there will be a lot of folks taking a shot at whatever piece of the pie they can get.
So, the company pays to make this all go away. The lawyers get their share, and expenses are taken out. And the folks who are supposed to benefit-along, we suspect, with quite a few who aren't-get the leftovers.
Ain't justice grand?