Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that Virginia received a payment of $137.3 million from major tobacco companies like Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and others as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement.

The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was originally finalized in 1998 and resolved Virginia’s lawsuit against the companies for violating consumer protection laws and deceptive marketing practices.

The payments help to cover the cost of healthcare for smoking related illnesses.

The Commonwealth has received $3.2 billion in payments to date from the settlement.