XML 19 R53.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.1.9

Contingencies (Non-Engle Progeny Cases Trial Results Narrative) (Details) (Oregon Schwarz [Member], Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member], USD $) | 3 Months Ended
--- | ---
Mar. 31, 2015
Oregon Schwarz [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |
Loss contingency, period of occurrence | March 2002
Compensatory damages jury award total excluding interest | $ 168,500 mo_CompensatoryDamagesJuryAwardTotalExcludingInterest / us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis = mo_OregonSchwarzMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Loss contingency, court reduction date | May 2002
Punitive damages reduced award total | 100,000,000 mo_PunitiveDamagesReducedAwardTotal / us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis = mo_OregonSchwarzMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Date of Court Award of Costs to Defendant | December 2010
Court Ordered Costs Returned To Defendant | 500,000 mo_CourtOrderedCostsReturnedToDefendant / us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis = mo_OregonSchwarzMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Punitive Damages Award Date | February 2012
Punitive damages jury award allocation amount | 150,000,000 mo_PunitiveDamagesJuryAwardAllocationAmount / us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis = mo_OregonSchwarzMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Retrial Punitive Damages Awarded | $ 25,000,000 mo_RetrialPunitiveDamagesAwarded / us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis = mo_OregonSchwarzMember / us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis = mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember

X
- Definition Compensatory Damages Jury Award Total Excluding Interest + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_CompensatoryDamagesJuryAwardTotalExcludingInterest
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Court Ordered Costs Returned To Defendant + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_CourtOrderedCostsReturnedToDefendant
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Date of Court Award of Costs to Defendant + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_DateOfCourtAwardOfCostsToDefendant
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Loss Contingency, Court Reduction Date + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_LossContingencyCourtReductionDate
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Punitive Damages Award Date + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_PunitiveDamagesAwardDate
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | us-types:durationStringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Punitive Damages Jury Award Allocation Amount PM USA + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_PunitiveDamagesJuryAwardAllocationAmount
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Punitive Damages Reduced Award Total + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_PunitiveDamagesReducedAwardTotal
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Retrial Punitive Damages Awarded + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_RetrialPunitiveDamagesAwarded
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingenciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition States when the existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty occurred. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14326-108349 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14557-108349 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingencyPeriodOfOccurrence
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration