The paper and presentation will provide a detailed summary of both the status and substance of current world-wide tobacco litigation and an overview of the more than forty year history of tobacco litigation in the U.S. Particular attention will be devoted to the recent four year period in the U.S. during which novel claims and procedural devices were employed by plaintiffs against the tobacco industry, an attempt to reach a national legislative resolution of tobacco issues occurred and the first ever litigation settlements ocurred in attorney general healthcare reimbursement cases and an environmental tobacco smoke class action. The paper and presentation will conclude with a discussion of the contrasts between the nascent non-U.S. tobacco litigation and U.S. tobacco litigation.