11.   Action by state pension funds on tobacco-related holdings is not limited to the states that have sued the industry.

12.   After Brooke said it planned to settle with five states suing the industry, Louisiana sued and six additional states said they are considering filing suits.

13.   But several analysts said the merger could easily run into legal opposition from some of the tobacco plaintiffs suing the industry.

14.   Crotty said Erie County, New York, plans to sue the industry as well.

15.   Each state has sued the industry, with Florida and Mississippi settling their lawsuits out of court.

16.   Egged on by trial lawyers, the officials have sued the industry to try to win in court what they cannot win in the political arena.

17.   Federal judge Okla B. Jones II ruled in Louisiana that the tobacco industry could be sued for punitive damages on accusations of addicting smokers.

18.   Following is a chronology tracking the efforts of the cigarette makers and lawyers for states and smokers suing the industry to reach their landmark settlement.

19.   Forty states have also sued the industry to recoup the Medicaid costs of treating former smokers.