Philly Sex Offender Sues Big Tobacco for $50 Million

10-13-2017 Pennsylvania:

He started smoking Kools when he was a teenager. Now he wants to be paid.

We here at Philly Mag see a lot of personal injury lawsuits rolling through the local courts, but we don’t remember the last time we saw somebody suing big tobacco. For $50 million. And then there’s the fact that the guy suing is a registered sex offender.

Northeast Philadelphia resident Ted McCracken has filed a personal injury lawsuit against tobacco conglomerate R.J. Reynolds, along with other cigarette companies and executives, seeking at least $50 million in damages.

McCracken says he started smoking when he was 15, one to two packs of cigarettes daily. His favorite brands were Kool, Newport, and TOP tobacco, the kind you roll yourself.

These days, McCracken is 64 years old. He says he was recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (better known as COPD), asthma, and emphysema, all conditions that can be caused by cigarette smoking. And he plainly blames his ailments on nearly 50 years of cigarette use. ..Continued..