Justice Department lawyers say the industry's past behavior is enough to show a reasonable likelihood of future wrongdoing.
Philip Morris USA attorney William Ohlemeyer said the case has been more expensive and time-consuming than any others the company has tried. He declined to put a dollar figure on that, but characterized as absurd the US$280 billion the government is seeking for "ill-gotten gains."
"If the government obtains everything they claim to be seeking in this lawsuit, they then become the owners of these five companies," Ohlemeyer said. "The companies don't have US$280 billion."
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