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Tobacco companies, desperate to maintain their hold on tens of millions of American smokers, worked together for decades to deceive the public about the dangers of cigarettes and to encourage the young to start puffing, government lawyers said Tuesday at the start of a racketeering trial. Justice Department lawyers pointed to numerous statements by industry executives that created doubt among smokers about whether the habit was harmful and whether they really needed to kick it. "Defendants' strategy of denial worked, and they knew it," Justice lawyer Sharon Eubanks told U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler. The government wants new restrictions placed on the industry and is seeking $280 billion it claims the companies earned through the alleged fraud, a record amount for a civil racketeering case. Tobacco lawyers say such an amount would bankrupt the companies, and the government isn't entitled to any money. [more

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