More details are expected today on a proposed deal that would see the three major companies pay out billions of dollars to provinces and territories as well as smokers and their loved ones.
The companies—JTI-Macdonald Corp., Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.—sought creditor protection in Ontario in 2019 after Quebec’s highest court upheld a ruling ordering them to pay nearly $15 billion in two class-action lawsuits.
All legal proceedings against the companies were then put on hold so the three could continue to operate as they worked towards a global settlement with their creditors, which include the Quebec plaintiffs and provincial governments looking to recoup smoking-related health-care costs….