See if you qualify for this lawsuit
Quick form — a real person will review your info and reach out if you may have a case.
For decades, tobacco companies told the public that cigarettes were safe, that nicotine wasn’t addictive, and that the science linking smoking to cancer was uncertain. Internal company documents — made public through prior litigation and a 1998 federal settlement — showed that tobacco executives knew the truth and hid it anyway.
Individual smokers and their families can bring their own personal injury or wrongful death cases against cigarette manufacturers in state court. These are not class actions — they are individual cases, and each one stands on its own facts. We are currently accepting cases from people who live in Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
If you smoked cigarettes and were diagnosed with a serious tobacco-related disease, it costs nothing to find out whether you may have a case.
What the Cigarette Lawsuit Is About
The major cigarette manufacturers — including R.J. Reynolds (maker of Camel, Winston, Newport, and Pall Mall), Philip Morris (maker of Marlboro), and Lorillard — knew for decades that their products caused cancer and that nicotine was addictive. Internal documents produced in prior litigation showed that executives were aware of this research and chose to hide it from the public while continuing to market cigarettes aggressively. (U.S. v. Philip Morris USA Inc. et al., 449 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2006).)
In individual cases, people who smoked and developed cancer or other serious diseases can hold these manufacturers responsible by showing that the company’s product caused their illness and that the company failed to warn them. You do not have to prove that a company intended to hurt you — only that the product was dangerous, the company knew it, and you were harmed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented that smoking causes approximately 480,000 deaths per year in the United States and is the leading cause of preventable death. (CDC, “Smoking and Tobacco Use: Health Effects.”)
Who May Qualify
You may qualify if the following describe your situation:
- You smoked cigarettes regularly — whether Marlboro, Camel, Newport, Winston, Pall Mall, or another brand.
- You were diagnosed with a qualifying tobacco-related disease: lung cancer, laryngeal (throat) cancer, pharyngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, bladder cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, or other smoking-related conditions.
- You currently live in — or were a long-term resident of — Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts, or Illinois. Surviving family members of a smoker who passed away from a tobacco-related disease may also have a case.
Takes two minutes — fill out the free form below to find out.
A real person reviews every submission. If you may have a case, someone will reach out within one week.
Start Free Case Check →What Could This Mean for You?
If you qualify, you may be owed money for your medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses connected to your smoking-related illness. Surviving family members of smokers who passed away may also have a case.
We will not quote you a specific number. What any individual case may be worth depends on your diagnosis, the severity of treatment required, your specific history, and how your case resolves. Those facts are unique to every person.
What About the Filing Deadline?
Each state has its own deadline for filing. In the states we are currently accepting cases from — Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Illinois — the deadline typically runs from when you were diagnosed or when you reasonably connected your illness to your smoking history. Deadlines range from two to three years depending on the state.
Because many people were diagnosed some time ago, the clock may already be running. Once a deadline passes, you cannot recover — even if you clearly would have qualified. The case check is free and takes two minutes.
How the Process Works
Step 1 — Fill out the free form
No cost, no commitment. Takes about two minutes. A real person on our intake team reviews it.
Step 2 — A lawyer reviews your smoking history and medical diagnosis
If it looks like you may qualify, someone reaches out to you. They will go over which brands you smoked, how long, and what you were diagnosed with.
Step 3 — If you qualify, attorneys work on contingency
You pay nothing unless you win. If your case doesn’t recover money, you owe nothing.
Step 4 — Your individual case is filed and pursued
Your case is filed in your state. The law firm handles the legal work. Most clients never have to travel or appear in a courtroom.
Common Questions
Yes. Former smokers who developed tobacco-related diseases can still file. The key is whether your disease is linked to your smoking history.
Surviving family members — including spouses and children — may be able to file a case on behalf of a deceased smoker. These are called wrongful death cases.
Yes. Cases apply to smokers of any major brand — including Newport, Winston, Pall Mall, Kool, and others made by R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Lorillard.
Possibly not, but deadlines are real. The statute of limitations typically runs from when you knew or should have known the disease was connected to smoking. Don’t wait to find out.
We are currently accepting cases from people in Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Illinois. If you live in another state, submit the form anyway — eligibility can change.
Sources
- United States v. Philip Morris USA Inc. et al., 449 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2006) — federal court findings on tobacco industry fraud and concealment.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Smoking and Tobacco Use: Health Effects.” CDC.gov. Accessed April 2026.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The Health Consequences of Smoking — 50 Years of Progress.” Surgeon General’s Report, 2014.
- Truth Tobacco Industry Documents (UCSF Library) — internal industry research made public through litigation and the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.