Supreme court rejects govt tobacco appeal

By Peter Kaplan 41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court rejected on Monday the government's appeal aimed at reinstating a potential $280 billion penalty in its landmark racketeering case against cigarette makers.

Without comment, the justices denied a request by the Justice Department to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that barred the government from seeking $280 billion in past tobacco profits as a legal remedy for decades of alleged fraud by the tobacco industry.