New Valley LLC Joint Venture Income Statement (Details) (New Valley LLC [Member], NV Socal LLC [Member], USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012
New Valley LLC [Member] | NV Socal LLC [Member]
Interest and dividend income	$ 23,143	$ 25,122
Costs and expenses	78	422
Interest expense, net	5,065	7,794
Income tax expense	0	6
Net income	$ 18,000	$ 16,900