The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled the provincial government has the constitutional right to sue tobacco companies for health care costs associated with tobacco-related disease, the Canadian Press reported.

The appeals court ruling was limited to constitutional issues, and did not directly concern the CAD 60 billion (EUR 39.8 billion) suit filed by Quebec in 2012 against Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, the news agency said.