Release date:
11/9/2017
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that his office has entered a final multistate settlement agreement that resolves a decade-old payment dispute under the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, the historic agreement with the tobacco industry.
“It is critical that we resolve this dispute completely,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “This multistate settlement agreement will ensure that North Carolinians will benefit going forward. North Carolina will have greater control over and predictability regarding annual tobacco settlement payments.”
North Carolina annually receives $130-140 million in tobacco settlement payments. Since late 1998, when the settlement was signed, North Carolina has received $2.78 billion in payments.
In 2012, North Carolina and 19 other states reached an agreement to settle the payment dispute that had been lingering for more than a decade. Other states later joined this effort, bringing the total number of settling states to 26.
Last month, North Carolina and these other states reached final agreement with the tobacco companies on the detailed settlement agreement, and that settlement agreement now has been formally executed and has entered into force. It will govern the covered actions of the parties going forward.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
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