The family of Tony Gwynn filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the tobacco industry Monday, claiming it intentionally targeted the Hall of Famer to get him addicted to smokeless tobacco.
In the suit, filed in Superior Court in San Diego, Gwynn's family accuses Altria Group, Inc., the tobacco giant formerly known as Philip Morris; Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC; local San Diego convenience stores and others of manipulating Gwynn's addiction to the product.
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The complaint, obtained by The New York Times, says the tobacco industry was determined to market its products to African Americans, and Gwynn was a “marketing dream come true” as he was making his rise to fame at San Diego State University beginning in 1977.