Judge approves Nevada’s settlement with tobacco industry

Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.

Washoe District Judge Margaret Springgate approved the agreement in the lawsuit the state filed against the industry in May 1997.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said she expects the settlement to bring Nevadans $1.2 billion from the tobacco industry over the next 25 years.

The consent decree specifies the proceeds are to be used for public health purposes, she said.

"We need to do everything we can to ensure that the money received from this settlement remains in the public health arena for which it was intended," Del Pappa said.

Outgoing Gov. Bob Miller, a Democrat, and Gov.-elect Kenny Guinn, a Republican, also welcomed the settlement.

"I am very pleased that we are all in complete agreement that this settlement is the best deal for Nevada," Guinn said.

In addition to the cash settlement, the agreement includes prohibitions on marketing aimed at children and a ban on all outdoor and transit advertising.

A Superior Court judge in California also approved that state's tobacco settlement this week, the largest in state history at $23.9 billion.

The new court action is part of a nationwide deal announced last month.