XML 128 R109.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.6.0.2

Contingencies (Schedule Of Pending Cases) (Details) | 1 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Jul. 31, 2015 trial plantiff | Dec. 31, 2016 case phase | Dec. 31, 2015 case | Dec. 31, 2014 case
Individual Smoking And Health Cases [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of cases pending |  | 70 | 65 | 67
Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of cases pending |  | 5 | 5 | 5
Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of cases pending |  | 1 | 1 | 1
Lights Ultra Lights Class Actions [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of cases pending |  | 8 | 11 | 12
Tobacco Related Cases, Cases Filed on the Asbestos Docket [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of cases pending |  | 25 |  |
ETS Smoking and Health Case, Flight Attendants [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Cases excluded |  | 2,485 |  |
WEST VIRGINIA | Pending Litigation [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of civil actions |  | 600 |  |
Number of plaintiffs | plantiff | 30 |  |  |
Number of consolidated trials | trial | 6 |  |  |
Number of plaintiffs per group | plantiff | 5 |  |  |
WEST VIRGINIA | Philip Morris USA [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Smoking And Health Class Actions And Aggregated Claims Litigation [Member] |  |  |  |
Loss Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Number of civil actions |  | 344 |  |
Number of trial phases | phase |  | 2 |  |

X
- Definition Loss Contingency, Consolidated Trials, Number of Plaintiffs in Each Group + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_LossContingencyConsolidatedTrialsNumberofPlaintiffsinEachGroup
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Loss Contingency, Number of Civil Actions + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_LossContingencyNumberofCivilActions
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Loss Contingency, Number of Consolidated Trials + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_LossContingencyNumberofConsolidatedTrials
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Loss Contingency, Number of Trial Phases + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | mo_LossContingencyNumberofTrialPhases
Namespace Prefix: | mo_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

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 claims settled. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingencyClaimsSettledNumber
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Number of plaintiffs that have filed claims pertaining to a loss contingency. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LossContingencyNumberOfPlaintiffs
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:integerItemType
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_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_LitigationCaseAxis=mo_TobaccoRelatedCasesCasesFiledontheAsbestosDocketMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

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

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis=stpr_WV
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

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

X
- Details
Name: | dei_LegalEntityAxis=mo_PhilipMorrisUSAMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |