The big lie

This is a global court room drama where the stakes are billions of dollars -- and the health of countless people who are being seduced into smoking by aggressive marketing strategies. The case started in Australia where Rolah McCabe, a smoker since she was nine years old, was terminally ill with lung cancer. She sued British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. It appears that fifty years of data on research by British American Tobacco have gone missing due to a company policy to systematically destroy the incriminating documents. The cast of characters includes McCabe's attorney, Peter Gordon, a dedicated public interest lawyer; Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nicotine addiction specialist and former employee of the tobacco company; and Frederick Gulson, a former legal counsel for the tobacco company. The plaintiff in Australia wins at first, only to have the decision overturned by an appellate court. Attorney Peter Gordon says, "I've never been in a fight where justice was on my side and I lost." He is confused and has unsettling doubts about the justice system. However, the case against "big tobacco" isn t over. The U.S. Department of Justice is building on evidence revealed in the Australian lawsuit to take on the tobacco company in a fraud and racketeering lawsuit. It is seeking unprecedented damages of hundreds of billions of dollars. This will no doubt be pursued through the courts for years. Note: Russell Crowe's character in The Insider was modeled on Jeffrey Wigand.

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"Holding the tobacco industry accountable"

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"This is a global court room drama where the stakes are billions of dollars -- and the health of countless people who are being seduced into smoking by aggressive marketing strategies. The case started in Australia where Rolah McCabe, a smoker since she was nine years old, was terminally ill with lung cancer. She sued British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. It appears that fifty years of data on research by British American Tobacco have gone missing due to a company policy to systematically destroy the incriminating documents. The cast of characters includes McCabe's attorney, Peter Gordon, a dedicated public interest lawyer; Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nicotine addiction specialist and former employee of the tobacco company; and Frederick Gulson, a former legal counsel for the tobacco company. The plaintiff in Australia wins at first, only to have the decision overturned by an appellate court. Attorney Peter Gordon says, "I've never been in a fight where justice was on my side and I lost." He is confused and has unsettling doubts about the justice system. However, the case against "big tobacco" isn t over. The U.S. Department of Justice is building on evidence revealed in the Australian lawsuit to take on the tobacco company in a fraud and racketeering lawsuit. It is seeking unprecedented damages of hundreds of billions of dollars. This will no doubt be pursued through the courts for years. Note: Russell Crowe's character in The Insider was modeled on Jeffrey Wigand."@en
"Examines the implications of the overturning of the original judgement and verdict in the case, British American Tobacco Services, Australia v. Rolah Anne McCabe, by Judge Geoffrey Eames. Several months earlier, he had awarded $700,000 in damages to terminally ill smoker, Rolah McCabe. Footage of Slater & Gordon solicitor for McCabe, Peter Gordon as he works to right a wrong committed in the case, by pursuing and exposing the tobacco industry for causing death; and to create a precedence for saving other lives. P. Gordon airs his views on the Australian justice system, as he seeks avenues to bring BAT to account."@en
"Rolah McCabe started smoking when she was 9 years old. She won record damages against tobacco giant British and American Tobacco, after the corporation shredded files dating back to the 1950s in order to prevent Rolah and her lawyer Peter Gordon, and other potential litigants, from obtaining vital evidence. However, Justice Jeffrey Eames' historic finding for Rolah McCabe was overturned in the Appeals Court, by which time Rolah had died. A breakthrough development for the McCabe family and Peter Gordon then occurred when former lawyer Fred Gulson, who had acted for BAT in the case, became a whistle blower on the company. This apparently opened the way for litigation to proceed in Australia and the United States, where the U.S. government brought a $300 billion case against Big Tobacco for racketeering and corrupt practices. This programme follows the dramatic and emotionally-charged events of the trial and the following legal actions."
"Rolah McCabe started smoking when she was 9 years old. She won record damages against tobacco giant British and American Tobacco, after the corporation shredded files dating back to the 1950s in order to prevent Rolah and her lawyer Peter Gordon, and other potential litigants, from obtaining vital evidence. However, Justice Jeffrey Eames' historic finding for Rolah McCabe was overturned in the Appeals Court, by which time Rolah had died. A breakthrough development for the McCabe family and Peter Gordon then occurred when former lawyer Fred Gulson, who had acted for BAT in the case, became a whistle blower on the company. This apparently opened the way for litigation to proceed in Australia and the United States, where the U.S. government brought a $300 billion case against Big Tobacco for racketeering and corrupt practices. This programme follows the dramatic and emotionally-charged events of the trial and the following legal actions."@en
"When the hired guns of British American Tobacco came to Australia to appeal a decision in favour of a terminally-ill wife and mother, they didn't stop once they had the award overturned. They then set out to pursue the family of Rolah McCabe in order to cover their own legal costs in the case. Combining tense legal action with the highly-charged emotional fallout that is the legacy of those who put themselves in the sights of Big Tobacco, The Big Lie is an eloquent essay in deceit and corporate thuggery and world-class documentary filmmaking at its very best."@en
"Follows the trail to bring the tobacco industry to justice for causing deaths. Includes selected footage of the multibillion dollar case brought against the company by the U.S. Department of Justice, for racketeering and corrupt practices. Discusses what the lawyers have learnt about the evidence of document destruction in Australia. Updated information on the positive outcome of the U.S. case, regarding a settlement with 'Big Tobacco'. Includes also selected footage of the McCabe case and its aftermath; as well as, the hearing for the case, Fred Gulson v. Philip Morris, U.S.A., on 7th December 2004."@en
""This is a global court room drama ... The case started in Australia where Rolah McCabe, a smoker since she was nine years old, was terminally ill with lung cancer. She sued British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. It appears that fifty years of data on research by British American Tobacco has gone missing due to a company policy of systematically destroying the incriminating documents. The cast of characters includes McCabe's attorney, Peter Gordon, a dedicated public interest lawyer; Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nicotine addiction specialist and former employee of the tobacco company; and Frederick Gulson, a former legal counsel for the tobacco company. The plaintiff in Australia wins at first, only to have the decision overturned by an appellate court ... However, the case against "big tobacco" isn't over. The U.S. Department of Justice is building on evidence revealed in the Australian lawsuit to take on the tobacco company in a fraud and racketeering lawsuit"--Container."
"Whis is a global court room drama where the stakes are billions of dollars -- and the health of countless people who are being seduced into smoking by aggressive marketing strategies. The case started in Australia where Rolah McCabe, a smoker since she was nine years old, was terminally ill with lung cancer. She sued British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. It appears that fifty years of data on research by British American Tobacco have gone missing due to a company policy to systematically destroy the incriminating documents. The cast of characters includes McCabe's attorney, Peter Gordon, a dedicated public interest lawyer; Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nicotine addiction specialist and former employee of the tobacco company; and Frederick Gulson, a former legal counsel for the tobacco company. The plaintiff in Australia wins at first, only to have the decision overturned by an appellate court. Attorney Peter Gordon says, "I've never been in a fight where justice was on my side and I lost." He is confused and has unsettling doubts about the justice system. However, the case against "big tobacco" isn t over. The U.S. Department of Justice is building on evidence revealed in the Australian lawsuit to take on the tobacco company in a fraud and racketeering lawsuit. It is seeking unprecedented damages of hundreds of billions of dollars."
"This is a global court room drama where the stakes are billions of dollars -- and the health of countless people who are being seduced into smoking by aggressive marketing strategies. The case started in Australia where Rolah McCabe, a smoker since she was nine years old, was terminally ill with lung cancer. She sued British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. It appears that fifty years of data on research by British American Tobacco have gone missing due to a company policy to systematically destroy the incriminating documents. The cast of characters includes McCabe's attorney, Peter Gordon, a dedicated public interest lawyer; Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a nicotine addiction specialist and former employee of the tobacco company; and Frederick Gulson, a former legal counsel for the tobacco company. The plaintiff in Australia wins at first, only to have the decision overturned by an appellate court. Attorney Peter Gordon says, "I've never been in a fight where justice was on my side and I lost." He is confused and has unsettling doubts about the justice system. However, the case against "big tobacco" isn't over. The U.S. Department of Justice is building on evidence revealed in the Australian lawsuit to take on the tobacco company in a fraud and racketeering lawsuit. It is seeking unprecedented damages of hundreds of billions of dollars. This will no doubt be pursued through the courts for years. Note: Russell Crowe's character in The Insider was modeled on Jeffrey Wigand."@en
"When the hired guns of British American Tobacco came to Australia to appeal a decision in favour of a terminally-ill wife and mother, they didn't stop once they had the award overturned."@en
"(52 mins - Middle and Upper Secondary) Broadcast: SBS 29/10/2008 Summary: A working-class mother of four takes on a global tobacco giant, in an attempt to gain compensation for the lung cancer that is killing her. This film is the story of the controversial case of the Australian family McCabe versus the British American Tobacco Company."
"Rolah McCabe won record damages against tobacco company British-American Tobacco, after the corporation shredded files dating back to the 1950s in order to prevent Rolah and her lawyer Peter Gordon, and other potential litigants, from obtaining vital evidence. However, Justice Jeffrey Eames' historic finding for Rolah McCabe was overturned in the Appeals Court, by which time Rolah had died. A breakthrough development for the McCabe family and Peter Gordon then occurred when former lawyer Fred Gulson, who had acted for BAT in the case, became a whistle blower on the company. This opened the way for litigation to proceed in Australia and the United States, where the U.S. government brought a $300 billion case against Big Tobacco for racketeering and corrupt practices."@en
"Follows the dramatic and emotionally-charged events of historic trials against the tobacco industry, and the following legal actions. Begins with the case of Rolah McCabe, a smoker with terminal lung cancer, who sued and posthumously won damages against tobacco giant British American Tobacco for manipulating the truth regarding its research on the hazards of smoking. A breakthrough occured when former BAT lawyer Fred Gulson, became a whistle blower on the company, opening the way for litigation to proceed in Australia and the United States, where the U.S. government brought a $300 billion case against Big Tobacco for racketeering and corrupt practices."
"Rolah McCabe started smoking when she was 9 years old. She won record damages against tobacco giant British American Tobacco, after the corporation shredded files dating back to the 1950s in order to prevent Rolah and her lawyer Peter Gordon, and other potential litigants, from obtaining vital evidence. However, Justice Jeffrey Eames' historic finding for Rolah McCabe was overturned in the Appeals Court, by which time Rolah had died. A breakthrough development for the McCabe family and Peter Gordon then occurred when former lawyer Fred Gulson, who had acted for BAT in the case, became a whistle blower on the company. This apparently opened the way for litigation to proceed in Australia and the United States, where the U.S. government brought a $300 billion case against Big Tobacco for racketeering and corrupt practices. This programme follows the dramatic and emotionally-charged events of the trial and the following legal actions."