XML 31 R47.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.2.0.727

Contingencies (Schedule Of Pending Cases) (Details) | Jul. 24, 2015 cases | Jul. 18, 2014 cases | Jul. 22, 2013 cases
--- | --- | --- | ---
Pending Litigation [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [1] |  | 67 | 73
Pending Litigation [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [2] |  | 5 | 6
Pending Litigation [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [3] |  | 1 | 1
Pending Litigation [Member] | Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending |  |  | 14 | 15
Subsequent Event [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending |  | 2 |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] | Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending |  | 1 |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [1] | 65 |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [2] | 5 |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending | [3] | 1 |  |
Subsequent Event [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of Cases Pending |  | 12 |  |
[1] | Does not include 2,545 cases brought by flight attendants seeking compensatory damages for personal injuries allegedly caused by exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (“ETS”). The flight attendants allege that they are members of an ETS smoking and health class action in Florida, which was settled in 1997 (Broin). The terms of the court-approved settlement in that case allow class members to file individual lawsuits seeking compensatory damages, but prohibit them from seeking punitive damages. Also, does not include individual smoking and health cases brought by or on behalf of plaintiffs in Florida state and federal courts following the decertification of the Engle case (discussed below in Smoking and Health Litigation - Engle Class Action).
[2] | ncludes as one case the 600 civil actions (of which 346 were actions against PM USA) that were to be tried in a single proceeding in West Virginia (In re: Tobacco Litigation). The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled that the United States Constitution did not preclude a trial in two phases in this case. Issues related to defendants’ conduct and whether punitive damages are permissible were tried in the first phase. Trial in the first phase of this case began in April 2013. In May 2013, the jury returned a verdict in favor of defendants on the claims for design defect, negligence, failure to warn, breach of warranty, and concealment and declined to find that the defendants’ conduct warranted punitive damages. Plaintiffs prevailed on their claim that ventilated filter cigarettes should have included use instructions for the period 1964 - 1969. The second phase will consist of trials to determine liability and compensatory damages. In November 2013, plaintiffs filed their notice of appeal to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. In November 2014, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals affirmed the final judgment and, in January 2015, denied plaintiffs’ petition for rehearing. In April 2015, plaintiffs filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court, which the Supreme Court denied on June 8, 2015.
[3] | See Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation - Federal Government’s Lawsuit below.

X
- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingenciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Number of pending claims pertaining to a loss contingency. + References Reference 1: 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 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingencyPendingClaimsNumber
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LitigationStatusAxis=us-gaap_PendingLitigationMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=mo_SmokingAndHealthClassActionsAndAggregatedClaimsLitigationMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryActionsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis=mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_SubsequentEventTypeAxis=us-gaap_SubsequentEventMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis=mo_IndividualSmokingAndHealthCasesMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis=mo_LightsUltraLightsClassActionsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |