TOBACCO to financial services group BAT Industries yesterday received a boost in its fightback against the anti-smoking lobby after a US court dismissed the bulk of the claims in a lawsuit filed by the state of Florida.

The judge dismissed all the pre-1994 claims in what is called the Medicaid suit brought against the tobacco industry by the state of Florida. The decision resulted in the bulk of the state's claims being thrown out.

Last month, BAT secured a victory in an anti-smoking case in the US after a court in Indiana threw out a damages claim.