Opening statements begin Wednesday in what could be an important class-action suit filed 10 years ago in Boston federal court. The trial pits tobacco giant Philip Morris against a group of Massachusetts smokers. The group is not seeking money; rather, they’re arguing the cigarette-maker should have to pay for their cancer screenings. “It’s brought by a class of individuals who have smoked substantial amounts of cigarettes over a period of years, and they’re seeking kind of medical monitoring,” said Nancy Gertner, a Harvard Law School professor and retired federal judge, who was once on the bench in the case. “Because they’re at risk for developing cancer they want to be regularly monitored... [Read more]