Associate Attorney General Robert D. McC

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES: Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum, Jr., speaks to the media about the US v. Phillip Morris proceedings at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse 21 September 2004 in Washington, DC. The US government embarked Tuesday on a 280 billion USD law suit against major tobacco companies, the largest civil racketeering trial in US history, which could bankrupt the industry if successful. The government accuses tobacco companies of colluding during decades to hide evidence of the health hazards of smoking, marketing directly to teenagers to create lifelong smokers, and lying about the safety of low-tar cigarettes. AFP PHOTO/STEPHEN JAFFE (Photo credit should read STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP via Getty Images)