The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that lawsuits seeking a piece of USD 340 million (EUR 326 million) collected from growers by the Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corp should be bundled into one trial, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit was returned to a state trial court in Raleigh, NC, according to the AP. Tobacco farmers in five southeastern states have been litigating for more than a decade for a share of the funds collected over decades and used to stabilize tobacco prices. Government price supports ended in 2004, and the programme was phased out over the ensuing decade. The remaining funds were turned over to the stabilization successor company, the US Tobacco Cooperative, based in Raleigh.