Legal Proceedings (Details Textuals) (USD $)				6 Months Ended						1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				1 Months Ended				6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended							3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jul. 20, 2011	Jul. 20, 2011 Mrozek V. Lorillard Tobacco Company [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Tullo V. R.J. Reynolds [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Sulcer V. Lorillard Tobacco Company [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Sulcer V. Lorillard Tobacco Company [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Jewett V. R.J. Reynolds [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Weingart v. R.J. Reynolds [Member] Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Indemnification Obligations [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Tobacco Related Antitrust Cases [Member]	Feb. 28, 2008 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Engle Progeny Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Conventional Product Liability Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Conventional Product Liability Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 West Virginia Individual Personal Injury Cases [Member]	Sep. 30, 2000 West Virginia Individual Personal Injury Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Flight Attendant Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Flight Attendant Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Flight Attendant Cases [Member]	Apr. 30, 2010 Class Action Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2007 Class Action Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Class Action Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Class Action Cases [Member]	Feb. 28, 2007 Class Action Cases [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Class Action Cases [Member]	May 31, 2004 Class Action Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2010 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Jun. 30, 2010 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Nov. 23, 1998 Reimbursement Cases [Member]	Jul. 20, 2011 Filter Cases [Member]
Legal Proceedings (Numeric) [Abstract]
Cases pending against cigarette manufacturers	9,590																639
Lorillard Tobacco as defendant	8,663							4	1		2	6				1		33						6									2		37
Lorillard Inc. as co-defendant	695								0			688				4	0				0			2									1		2
Number of additional filter cases in which parent is defendant but which subsidiary is not defendant																																			1
Lights cases pending against other manufacturers, excluding Lorillard																								25
Verdict returned against other cigarette manufacturers																8
Additional cases to be filed																					0
Compensatory damages and damages for loss of consortium																																			$ 1,100,000
Trials for other cigarette manufacturers in which jury founded in favor of plaintiffs																4
Trials in which jury founded in favor of defendants																3
Trials concluded																2
Damages awarded																1
Cases filed by family members												500
Number of cases where actual damages awarded at Florida Supreme Court										2
Actual damages paid											3
Appeal pending																2
Cases re-trials ordered by appellate courts																2
Amount awarded in punitive damages		11,300,000														4,000,000
Manufacturers required to pay damages to plaintiffs in individual cases																12
Compensatory damages awarded		6,000,000	4,500,000												50,000,000
Lorillard Tobacco or Lorillard Inc as defendant									2			5,998				28	40				2,588			6									3		38
Number of cases where punitive damages paid																5
Damages paid to deceased smoker's son															21,000,000
Punitive damages awarded										7,000,000	145,000,000,000				81,000,000
Number of Cases where Lorillard Tobacco paid to resolve claims																																			69
Preliminary injunction for cash or cash equivalents																272,000,000
Punitive damages award against other manufacturers- Case one																1,500,000
Punitive damages award against other manufacturers- Case two																13,800,000
Reinstated the compensatory damages awards by Florida Supreme Court											2
Actual damages reinstated by the Florida Supreme Court in which neither Lorillard Tobacco or Lorillard Inc were defendants													25,000,000
Trials juries found in favor of defendants												14
Compensatory damages awarded to plaintiff by Jury		3,900,588	225,000		225,000	400,000
Compensatory damages awarded to plaintiff by Jury after final judgement					11,250	109,298
Compensatory damages awarded to estate of decedent by Jury						692,981
Payment of verdict, attorney's fees and costs				246,000
Punitive damages awarded to plaintiff by Jury		11,300,000
Annual interest						6.00%
Percentage of Interest on Damages Awarded		6.00%	6.00%
Cases consolidated for trial																		1,250
Lorillard Tobacco has been dismissed from cases in lack of evidence against them																		610
Number of plaintiffs involved in Severed IPIC claims																	29
Lorillard Tobacco's share										3,000,000									60,000
Number of plaintiffs asserting both claims																	27
Defendant Prevailed																					7
Court granted plaintiff's motion for a new trial																					1
Damages awarded to plaintiff for French v.Philip Morris Incorporated																					5,500,000
Damages reduced by trial court for French v.Philip Morris Incorporated																					500,000
Cases scheduled for trial																	0				0														14
Number of cases in which Lorillard Inc. is a co-defendant																									2
Cigarette manufacturers defeated motions for class certification in cases																									36
Class action cases defeated in state court																									13
Class action cases defeated in federal court																									23
Smoking cessation program years																						10
Total judicial interest amount in Scott case																								37,000,000
Trial Court order to pay to fund a court-supervised cessation program																						264,000,000
Order to pay in phase II to fund cessation program																												591,000,000
Amount reduced by Louisiana Court in Scott case																										328,000,000
Struck an award of prejudgment interest total																											440,000,000
Pretax provision for appeal in Scott case																							66,000,000
Lorillard Tobacco share in appeal bond amount																										12,500,000
Lorillard tobacco share in appeal bond percent																										25.00%
Reimbursement cases pending against Lorillard Tobacco and other cigarette manufacturers in Israel								1																									1
Amount of the bond for the appeal																										50,000,000
Light class cases pending to be part of the consolidated proceeding pending against other manufacturers, excluding Lorillard																								5
Maximum appeal bond percentage																								150.00%
Neither cigarette labeling nor FTC regulation bars claim																								1
Cigarette Manufacturers companies and Trade associations as defendants																					3												4
The cost of compliance to Lorillard Tobacco																																	10,000,000
Amount claimed to recover profits earned by defendants																																	280,000,000,000
Number of states involved in Master Settlement Agreement																																		46
Pretax charges for obligations under state settlement agreements																													353,000,000	311,000,000	673,000,000	588,000,000
Annual payment by domestic tobacco industry																																	10,400,000,000
Cap on plaintiffs attorneys fees paid by domestic tobacco industry																																	500,000,000
Additional amount paid for plaintiffs attorneys fees																																	125,000,000
Trust fund payable to compensate tobacco growing communities																																	5,200,000,000
Number of states having tobacco growing communities to be compensated by "Trust"																																	14
Number of Missouri hospitals or hospital districts																																	37
Compensation to tobacco quota holders and tobacco growers																																	10,100,000,000
Number of cases in which Lorillard Tobacco or Lorillard Inc is a defendant																																			37
Lorillard Inc. as Defendant												0																							3
Offers of Judgement for Pending Cases																				15,000
Offers of Judgement for Other Cases																				2,650
Amount seeking in sanctions																				30,000,000
Payment made in settlement																																			21,500,000
Percentage of interest rate in sanctions																				9.00%
Verdicts returned												6									8														2
Verdicts returned since Florida Supreme Court decision												42
Manufacturers violated the Federal Sherman Antitrust Act									19
Number of states involved in Tobacco-Related Antitrust Indirect Purchasers Suits									20
Loews as co-defendant								4
Indirect purchaser suits dismissed by courts									4
Number of state and territorial attorneys general involved in MSA-Related Antitrust Suit									52
Days to Execute MSA									90
Trial jury's award limited to compensatory damages												11
Lorillard Tobacco as a defendant in Severed IPIC Claims																	7
Cases are concluded																					6
Indirect purchaser suits									30
Cumulative punitive damages awarded												600,000,000
Punitive damages awards, minimum												250,000
Punitive damages awards, maximum												244,000,000
Number of plaintiffs involved in Severed IPIC claims using only other tobacco products in which neither Lorillard Inc nor Lorillard Tobacco are Defendants																	2
Reduced judgement for a court-supervised cessation program																						$ 242,000,000
Number of claims severed into separate lawsuits														4,400
Cases dismissed													1,100					600
Prescribed limits of security posted or deposited based on the number of judgments pending on appeal														Does not exceed $200 million
Trials Underway												1				0
Loews as co-defendant in US Courts								3
Neither parent nor subsidiary is defendant																7								25
Proportion of fault by smoker		35.00%	45.00%		95.00%											30.00%
Proportion of fault by decedent						70.00%	91.00%
Proportion of fault by parent or subsidiary		65.00%	5.00%		5.00%	10.00%	3.00%
Proportion of fault by other defendants			50.00%			20.00%	3.00%
Total no. of individuals whose claims were heard during the first phase of the Engle trial											3
Number of cases with cumulative punitive damages												17
Number of Remaining Trails	7
Number of trials in which jury awarded compensatory damages												4
Number of Cases Dismissed by Court																								12
Number of cases in which court denied plaintiff's motion for class certification																								4