In 1998, Canadian smokers filed a consolidated lawsuit against the Canadian subsidiaries of British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International, namely, Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.; Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH); and JTI-Macdonald Corp for damages for addiction, smoking-related diseases, and lung cancer arguing that the companies failed to inform the risk of smoking to their consumers. 

In June 2015, Quebec Superior Court Justice Brian Riordan ordered the companies to make payments of more than $15-billion to smokers who fell ill or were addicted. The companies appealed the ruling. On 1 March 2019, The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the lower court decision with the exception of minor changes. 

The judges concluded that the companies violated the rights to life, to personal security and to inviolability of the plaintiffs by prioritizing their profit over their duty to provide the right information to their consumers.

The companies are disappointed with the decision.