LONDON (Standard&Poor's) Aug. 18, 2006--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that its ratings and outlook on British American Tobacco PLC (BAT; BBB+/Stable/A-2) remain unchanged following a ruling on the group's U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit. Although the Department of Justice has prevailed, the judge has not granted any significant financial damages against the tobacco manufacturers, including BAT, defending the case. Either party could still appeal the case but that would likely involve significant delays. Standard&Poor's will continue to monitor the development and the extent of the appeal process. The stable outlook on the ratings on BAT continues to incorporate our expectation that the group has the ability to weather its exposure to the U.S. and
