Mildred Wiley v. R.J.R. Nabisco et. al.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains a variety of documents used in the trial. Some were entered as evidence while others were entered as evidence in other lawsuits. Most of the documents pertain to research on the connection between smoking and cancer and to what tobacco companies knew about that connection. In addition, the collection contains a number of articles from the Ball State Daily News that covered the trial.
Dates
- 1953-1998
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.
Historical Note
In 1991 Mildred Wiley died of lung cancer at the age of 56 after having worked as a nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Marion, IN since 1973. She had been a non-smoker all her life but upon her death her husband, Philip E. Wiley filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the tobacco industry's top companies. He alleged that his wife's lung cancer was the direct result of her exposure to secondhand smoke at the Veteran's Administration, which allowed its patients and staff to smoke inside its hospitals. Lawyers for Wiley argued the tobacco companies are responsible for Mrs. Wiley's death because they repeatedly attempted to cover-up the negative affects of second hand smoke and lobbied the Veterans Administration to allow smoking inside the hospitals. In March of 1998 a jury of six unanimously found the tobacco companies not liable for Wiley's death.
Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
EAD finding aid created 2012/10/15 by Julie Hausknecht. EAD finding aid revised 2013/10/29 by Rebecca Marangelli.
- Health Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Marion (Ind.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Passive smoking -- Law and legislation Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Smoking Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Smoking in the workplace -- Law and legislation Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Stoeckel Archives of Local History Subject Source: Local sources
- Title
- Mildred Wiley v. R.J.R. Nabisco et. al.
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
libarchives@bsu.edu
