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Contingencies (Tables)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Schedule of Contingencies
(in millions)202220212020
Accrued liability for tobacco and health and certain other litigation items at beginning of period$91 $9 $14 
Pre-tax charges for:
Tobacco and health and certain other litigation (1)
101 

83 79 
Shareholder class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits (2)
27 90 — 
Related interest costs
3 9 4 
Payments(151)

(100)(88)
Accrued liability for tobacco and health and certain other litigation items at end of period$71 $91 $9 
(1) Includes judgments, settlements and fee disputes associated with tobacco and health and certain other litigation.
(2) See Shareholder Class Action and Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits below for discussions of the shareholder class action case and related settlement and the pending settlement of the federal and state shareholder derivative lawsuits.
The table below lists the number of certain tobacco-related cases pending in the United States against us as of December 31:
202220212020
Individual Smoking and Health Cases (1)
162176148
Health Care Cost Recovery Actions (2)
111
E-vapor Cases (3)
5,2833,2961,563
Other Tobacco-Related Cases (4)
333
(1) Includes as of December 31, 2022, 17 cases filed in Illinois, 20 cases filed in New Mexico, 37 cases filed in Massachusetts and 51 non-Engle cases filed in Florida. Does not include individual smoking and health cases brought by or on behalf of plaintiffs in Florida state and federal courts following the decertification of the Engle case (these Engle progeny cases are discussed below in Smoking and Health Litigation - Engle Class Action). Also does not include 1,395 cases brought by flight attendants seeking compensatory damages for personal injuries allegedly caused by exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (“ETS”). The flight attendants allege that they are members of an ETS smoking and health class action in Florida, which was settled in 1997 (Broin). The terms of the court-approved settlement in that case allowed class members to file individual lawsuits seeking compensatory damages but prohibited them from seeking punitive damages. Class members were prohibited from filing individual lawsuits after 2000 under the court-approved settlement.
(2) See Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation - Federal Government’s Lawsuit below.
(3) Includes as of December 31, 2022, 57 class action lawsuits, 3,830 individual lawsuits and 1,396 “third party” lawsuits relating to JUUL e-vapor products, which include school districts, state and local government, tribal and healthcare organization lawsuits. JUUL is an additional named defendant in each of these lawsuits. The 57 class action lawsuits include 32 cases in the Northern District of California (“Multidistrict Litigation” or “MDL”) involving plaintiffs whose claims were previously included in other class action complaints but were refiled as separate stand-alone class actions for procedural and other reasons.
(4) Includes as of December 31, 2022, one inactive smoking and health case alleging personal injury and purporting to be brought on behalf of a class of individual plaintiffs and two inactive class action lawsuits alleging that use of the terms “Lights” and “Ultra Lights” constitute deceptive and unfair trade practices, common law or statutory fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of warranty or violations of RICO.
Currently Pending Engle Cases with Verdicts Against PM USA
(rounded to nearest $ million)
PlaintiffVerdict DateDefendant(s)Court
Compensatory Damages (1)
Punitive Damages
(PM USA)		Post-Trial Status
HoffmanJanuary 2023PM USAMiami-Dade
$5 million ($3 million PM USA)
$0
Awaiting entry of final judgment by the trial court.
LevineSeptember 2022PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsMiami-Dade
$1 million
$0
Appeals by defendants and plaintiff to Third District Court of Appeal pending.
SchertzerApril 2022PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsMiami-Dade
$3 million
$0
Appeal by defendants to the Third District Court of Appeal pending.
LippSeptember 2021PM USAMiami-Dade
$15 million
$28 million
Appeal by defendant to Third District Court of Appeal pending.
GarciaMay 2021PM USAMiami-Dade
$6 million ($3 million PM USA)
$0
Appeal by defendant to the Third District Court of Appeal pending.
Duignan
February 2020 (2)
PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsPinellas
$3 million
$12 million
Florida Supreme Court quashed the Second District Court of Appeal’s affirmation of judgment against the defendants and remanded the case for reconsideration in light of Prentice(3).
McCallMarch 2019PM USABroward
<$1 million (<$1 million PM USA)
$0
New trial on punitive damages is set for April 2023.
ChadwellSeptember 2018PM USAMiami-Dade
$2 million
$0
Third District Court of Appeal has ordered supplemental briefing in accordance with the decision in Prentice(3).
Kaplan (McLaughlin)
July 2018PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsBroward
$2 million
$0
Florida Supreme Court vacated the punitive damages award in accordance with the decision in Sheffield (3). The Fourth District Court of Appeals affirmed the compensatory damages award and granted a new trial on punitive damages.
Cooper (Blackwood)
September 2015PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsBroward
$5 million
(<$1 million PM USA)
$0
Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed the compensatory damages award and granted a new trial on punitive damages.
(1) PM USA’s portion of the compensatory damages award is noted parenthetically where the court has ruled that comparative fault applies.
(2) Plaintiff’s verdict following a retrial of an initial verdict in favor of plaintiff.
(3) PM USA is not a defendant in Prentice or Sheffield, which are discussed below in Engle Progeny Appellate Issues.
Engle Cases Concluded Within Past 12 Months
(rounded to nearest $ million)
PlaintiffVerdict DateDefendant(s)CourtAccrual DatePayment Amount for Damages (if any)Payment Date
MillerSeptember 2022PM USA and R.J. ReynoldsMiami-DadeThird quarter of 2022
<$1 million
December 2022
TuttleAugust 2022PM USADuvalThird quarter of 2022
<$1 million
October 2022
CuddiheeJanuary 2020PM USADuvalSecond quarter of 2022$2 millionJune 2022
HollimanFebruary 2019PM USAMiami-DadeFourth quarter of 2022$3 millionJanuary 2023
D. BrownJanuary 2015PM USAFederal Court - Middle District of FloridaThird quarter of 2022$5 millionAugust 2022