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Several big foreign tobacco companies lost a bid on Thursday to have a $50 billion lawsuit by the Ontario government thrown out of court.

Ontario’s Court of Appeal refused their request.

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The three-judge panel unanimously said it sees no legal reason to overturn a lower court ruling that the case should proceed.

Ontario launched a lawsuit against 14 tobacco companies in September 2009 to try to recoup past and present health-care costs related to smoking.

The province claims the corporations should be on the hook for billions of dollars because they misrepresented the risks of smoking, did not take steps to reduce the effects and marketed cigarettes toward children and teens.

The tobacco companies argued that Barbara Ann Conway of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice erred in concluding she had jurisdiction to hear the case.

“We are not persuaded that any of the appellants have demonstrated such error,” the appeals court wrote in a 43-page ruling.