Jeffrey Wigand : Testimony of the 7 CEOs of Big Tobacco. One of the most famous events depicted in the motion picture “The Insider” was the videotaped testimony of the “
7 Dwarves
” (as they were described by Dr. Wigand) — the 7 CEOs of Big Tobacco.
Who blew the whistle on Big tobacco?
Jeffrey Stephen Wigand
(/ˈwaɪɡænd/; born December 17, 1942) is an American biochemist and former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes and in 1996 blew the whistle on tobacco tampering at the company.
What whistleblower actions did Dr Wigand take?
In 1995, Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a former Vice President for Research and Development for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, rose to national prominence when he blew the
whistle on tobacco companies’ manipulation of research on the effect of nicotine in tobacco products
.
What did Dr Jeffrey Wigand do?
Jeffrey Wigand exposed safety problems related to
the tobacco industry
. In 1995, Dr. Wigand achieved national prominence when he became the tobacco industry’s highest ranking former executive to address public health and smoking issues. … Wigand blew the whistle on the tobacco industry’s manipulation of nicotine.
Did Jeffrey Wigand receive death threats?
Jeffrey Wigand, a senior executive at Brown & Williamson, publicly exposed the company’s efforts to increase the addictive components in cigarettes. He lost his job,
received death threats
and assisted the FDA with an investigation. His story inspired the 1999 movie, “The Insider.”
Who was the Enron whistleblower?
Sherron Watkins
, the Enron Corp. executive who warned management about fraud, said not having confidentiality and protection for whistleblowers can have a cost. Nearly 20 years after the energy company’s collapse, Ms.
Did Jeff Wigand get divorced?
Wigand paid dearly for going public. Amid lawsuits, countersuits, and an exhaustive smear campaign orchestrated by the company, Wigand lost his family, his privacy, and his reputation.
His wife divorced him
, and their two daughters went to live with her.
When was Jeffrey Wigand fired?
Jeffrey Wigand had been a vice president of research at Brown & Williamson since 1989. He originally had been hired to work on the development of a safer cigarette. But the project was dropped and in
March 1993
Wigand was fired.
How much did Jeffrey Wigand make?
The appeal was seductive for a man who prided himself on his research skills, and Wigand’s title would be impressive: head of R&D. He would soon be paid more than he had ever earned in his life—
$300,000 a year
.
What happened to Brown and Williamson?
Merged with the other BAT’s U.S. business
(BATUS, Inc. and R.J. Reynolds to form Reynolds American.
When did Jeffrey Wigand testify?
Wigand, the former research chief for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. The
November 29, 1995
, testimony was given in a lawsuit brought by the State of Mississippi seeking reimbursement for the cost of smoking-related illnesses.
What is a political whistleblower?
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, usually an employee, who exposes information or activity within a private, public, or government organization that is deemed illegal, illicit, unsafe, fraud, or abuse of taxpayer funds.
Is the insider Based on true story?
A fictionalized account of a true story
, it is based on the 60 Minutes segment about Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower in the tobacco industry, covering his and CBS producer Lowell Bergman’s struggles as they defend his testimony against efforts to discredit and suppress it by CBS and Wigand’s former employer.
Who played Jeffrey Wigand?
Jeffrey Wigand (
RUSSELL CROWE
) was a central witness in the lawsuits filed by Mississippi and 49 other states against the tobacco industry which were eventually settled for $246 billion.
When did the insider take place?
Based on a true story about a CBS 60 Minutes-episode in
1994
on malpractices in the tobacco industry, that was not aired because CBS parent company Westinghouse objected. Pacino plays the 60 Minutes Producer.
