The tobacco case that led to a $10 billion verdict against cigarette maker Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris unit in a class-action lawsuit has been reinstated by an Illinois appellate court, a law firm said.

The Fifth District Appellate Court of Illinois on Feb. 24 sent the case back to trial court in Madison County, Illinois, for further proceedings, according to a press release sent by Korein Tillery, the law firm that brought the class-action suit.

“The Appellate Court ruling came only on the issue of the timeliness of Korein Tillery's appeal of the dismissal of the case by the trial court in 2006 when it acted under specific instructions by the Illinois Supreme Court,” according to the statement.

Read the full Bloomberg story, “Appeals Court Revives Illinois Class-Action Tobacco Case.”