The Supreme Court upheld a decision by the top Illinois state court to void a USD 10.1 billion (EUR 8.9 billion) award against Philip Morris USA, which would have been one of the largest ever for the cigarette maker, Reuters reported.

The appeal was based on a claim that one of the Illinois Supreme Court judges should have recused himself from the case because he received campaign contributions from a group funded in part by Philip Morris, the news agency said. The US high court rejected the appeal without comment.
Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, welcomed the decision, which ends proceedings begun in 2000. PM USA was accused of deceiving Illinois smokers with claims of "light" cigarettes. The Illinois high court twice overturned a lower court award, first in 2005 and again in 2015.