Contingencies (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Contingencies

The changes in Altria Group, Inc.’s accrued liability for tobacco and health litigation items, including related interest costs, for the periods specified below are as follows:

	For the Three Months Ended March 31,
	2018			2017
	(in millions)
Accrued liability for tobacco and health litigation items at beginning of period (1)	$	106		$	47
Pre-tax charges for:
Tobacco and health judgments	24			1
Related interest costs	4			—
Payments (1)	(23		)	(1		)
Accrued liability for tobacco and health litigation items at end of period (1)	$	111		$	47

⁽¹⁾Includes amounts related to the costs of implementing the corrective communications remedy related to the Federal Government’s Lawsuit discussed below.

The table below lists the number of certain tobacco-related cases pending in the United States against PM USA and, in some instances, Altria Group, Inc. as of April 23, 2018, April 27, 2017 and April 25, 2016:

	April 23, 2018	April 27, 2017	April 25, 2016
Individual Smoking and Health Cases (1)	102	80	62
Smoking and Health Class Actions and Aggregated Claims Litigation (2)	4	5	5
Health Care Cost Recovery Actions (3)	1	1	1
“Lights/Ultra Lights” Class Actions	3	5	11

⁽¹⁾Does not include 1,491 cases brought by flight attendants seeking compensatory damages for personal injuries allegedly caused by exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (“ETS”). The flight attendants allege that they are members of an ETS smoking and health class action in Florida, which was settled in 1997 (Broin). The terms of the court-approved settlement in that case allowed class members to file individual lawsuits seeking compensatory damages, but prohibited them from seeking punitive damages. In March 2018, 923 cases were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. Also, does not include individual smoking and health cases brought by or on behalf of plaintiffs in Florida state and federal courts following the decertification of the Engle case (these Engle progeny cases are discussed below in Smoking and Health Litigation - Engle Class Action).

⁽²⁾ Includes as one case the 30 civil actions that were to be tried in six consolidated trials in West Virginia (In re: Tobacco Litigation). PM USA is a defendant in nine of the 30 cases. The parties agreed to resolve the cases for an immaterial amount and as of April 23, 2018, the court has dismissed 25 of the 30 cases and stated that it will dismiss the remaining five cases, two of which are against PM USA, by April 27, 2018.

⁽³⁾See Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation - Federal Government’s Lawsuit below.