Arbitration News

Attorney General's Statement On Tobacco Arbitration Decision

"My office will continue to fight attempts by Big Tobacco to reduce payments that it committed to pay in settling our lawsuit. We are helping to lead all states affected like ours by this arbitration decision.

"This decision will have no immediate effect on our tobacco funds, anticipated to be about $100 million this year and totaling $800 million since 1998. We will take steps promptly to forestall and fight any reduction because we have completely and properly fulfilled all the conditions for continued full funding by Big Tobacco.

"We hope and expect that the state will prevail in this battle.

"For payments to diminish, a court would have to find that Connecticut failed to properly enforce its tobacco laws in 2003. We did enforce our statutes that year and continue to do so.

"I am determined to fight as relentlessly as ever against tobacco addiction and disease by using resources from Big Tobacco that we won through our lawsuit. I will stop Big Tobacco from shamelessly shirking its obligations under the settlement agreement."

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	Did You Know?
	There is one drawback to arbitration. There are no guarantees that arbitration will be a fair process. Once a decision is rendered in a binding arbitration, the parties are generally stuck with that decision. Without the right to appeal, there is always the risk of being subject to the whims and prejudices of the arbitrator. Overall, this is probably the biggest drawback to the arbitration process.