Comments on: WED AM: Damaging Dawson Testimony http://www.tobacco-on-trial.com/2005/01/12/tue-am-damaging-dawson-testimony/ Blogging U.S. vs. Philip Morris, Inc. Fri, 18 May 2012 04:30:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: krueger http://www.tobacco-on-trial.com/2005/01/12/tue-am-damaging-dawson-testimony/#comment-213 krueger Tue, 18 Jan 2005 21:00:14 +0000 http://www.tobacco-on-trial.com/2005/01/12/tue-am-damaging-dawson-testimony/#comment-213 > the tobacco institute has been disbanded When asked about this, Merryman replied "All we're going to do is change the name on the door." Merryman further stated, "We're going to continue to do what we've always done. I don't really understand why they're going through this exercise, frankly." Cimons, M., "Tobacco Institute workers confident of reincarnation", Los Angeles Times: A9, June 24, 1997 > As bad as the TI was, it's gone now The only thing that's gone is the name on the door. According to Walker Merryman, Vice President, the Tobacco Institute. > the tobacco institute has been disbanded

When asked about this, Merryman replied “All we’re going to do is change the name on the door.” Merryman further stated, “We’re going to continue to do what we’ve always done. I don’t really understand why they’re going through this exercise, frankly.”

Cimons, M., “Tobacco Institute workers confident of reincarnation”, Los Angeles Times: A9, June 24, 1997

> As bad as the TI was, it’s gone now

The only thing that’s gone is the name on the door.

According to Walker Merryman, Vice President, the Tobacco Institute.

]]> By: tobacco observer http://www.tobacco-on-trial.com/2005/01/12/tue-am-damaging-dawson-testimony/#comment-211 tobacco observer Tue, 18 Jan 2005 17:36:06 +0000 http://www.tobacco-on-trial.com/2005/01/12/tue-am-damaging-dawson-testimony/#comment-211 Since Gene has dwelt so much on Ms. Dawson's appearance here is a picture of her (embedded in an interesting exchange on PBS's Newshour): http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/august96/tobacco_dawson_8-23.html Anyway, this appears to be the first time so far, during this entire trial, that the gov't has managed to present good direct evidence of potential fraud. So that's a major blow struck by the gov't in terms of proving a RICO violation, again probably the first one this entire case. The problem is, though it was clearly despicable, the tobacco institute has been disbanded nearly 5 years ago with the passage of the MSA. As bad as the TI was, its gone now, and the burden of proof is still on the gov't to show a likelihood of future RICO violations. Their clock is ticking. Wasn't each side supposed to be limited to 12 weeks of testimony? It has to be close to that already. I have to wonder how much time the Gov't has left to finish making its case. Since Gene has dwelt so much on Ms. Dawson’s appearance here is a picture of her (embedded in an interesting exchange on PBS’s Newshour):

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/august96/tobacco_dawson_8-23.html

Anyway, this appears to be the first time so far, during this entire trial, that the gov’t has managed to present good direct evidence of potential fraud. So that’s a major blow struck by the gov’t in terms of proving a RICO violation, again probably the first one this entire case.

The problem is, though it was clearly despicable, the tobacco institute has been disbanded nearly 5 years ago with the passage of the MSA. As bad as the TI was, its gone now, and the burden of proof is still on the gov’t to show a likelihood of future RICO violations.

Their clock is ticking. Wasn’t each side supposed to be limited to 12 weeks of testimony? It has to be close to that already. I have to wonder how much time the Gov’t has left to finish making its case.

]]>