Court to decide if 800K tobacco growers too many for 1 case

 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) As 800,000 past and present tobacco farmers or their heirs seek part of a $340 million reserve held by a much-shrunken tobacco marketing cooperative, North Carolina's Supreme Court was asked Monday to decide if the group is simply too big and diverse for one class-action lawsuit.
The court heard from attorneys about the fight over money built up for decades by the Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corp. The justices must decide whether it's possible to sort out claims involving so many people across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. Continued