Tony Gwynn's family reaches settlement in smokeless tobacco lawsuit
The family of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn has reached an out-of-court settlement with the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, USA Today reported Friday.
The settlement ends the long-running lawsuit in which the family held the company responsible for “killing a baseball legend.”
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No details of the settlement were released
According to the USA Today report, terms of the settlement will not be made public. The family’s attorney, David Casey, is on record stating that the suit has “been resolved to the satisfaction of all the parties involved.”
The case was set to go to trial in San Diego Superior Court in September 2019.
Details of the Gwynn family lawsuit
In 2016, Gwynn’s family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against the tobacco giant Altria Group, Inc., which previously went by the name Philip Morris. The suit accused the company of hiding the dangers of smokeless tobacco. Gwynn’s usage dated back to 1977, which is 10 years before warning labels were attached to smokeless tobacco products.
Gwynn was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland in 2010, but was still unable to kick his tobacco habit. He died on June 16, 2014, at the age of 54. The family contends the San Diego Padres legend had become “hopelessly addicted” to the company’s products.
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