Template:2000MSA

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2000 Oct 5: U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno warned on October 5th that the Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit against cigarette companies to recover money spent by the Federal government on alleged smoking-related illnesses could come to a halt unless Congress authorizes enough money to pursue it. Reno estimates the department would need $23 million to fund the lawsuit through fiscal 2001. [The first year of the George W Bush Administration.]

Up to now, she had maintained that the DOJ itself would find the funding if Congress did not. Most of the money is needed for what is called pre-trial "discovery" to have cigarette companies disclose documents in the plaintiffs' attempt to prove fraud, according to David Ogden, who is overseeing the suit. [1]