Minnesota court to consider whether anti-tobacco lawsuit can continue

Posted at 12:30 PM on March 16, 2011 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice, Marketing and advertising

The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to review whether an appeals court properly reinstated a 10-year-old, class action lawsuit against Philip Morris that claims the company fraudulently marketed Marlboro Lights as a safer cigarette.

Last December, the Minnesota Court of Appeals reinstated the dormant case against the tobacco maker, reversing a district court ruling that Philip Morris "could not be sued for false advertising, consumer fraud, and deceptive trade practices regarding light cigarettes in violation of Minnesota consumer-protection statutes."

The group filing the suit claims the tobacco company marketed the Marlboro Lights as safer than a typical cigarette.

But the tobacco company argues that the tobacco trial settlement with then Attorney General "Skip" Humphrey barred the lawsuit.

Today, Supreme Court Chief Justice Lori Gildea issued an order accepting the tobacco company's request for review.

The Minnesota case mirrors several others filed in other states, with varying results. In Illinois last month, for example, a state appeals court reinstated a case that originally ended with a $10 billion judgment against the company.

The actions at the state level were revived after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a federal law regulating cigarette advertising did not prevent Maine from enforcing a state law banning false advertising in cases involving cigarettes.

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Comments (2)

Whatever they do, I hope it doesn't result in more lecturing from Clearway Minnesota. I am finding it tiresome and I'm not even a smoker.

Posted by John P. | March 16, 2011 1:53 PM

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Minnesota AG Humphrey and defendentant Philip Morris and the three other defendentants schemed to gather to FIX minnesota tobacco prices and protect the state turf form non signers of the "COMPACT"between ther benificiaries of the Tobacco lawsuit, and "OUTSIDERS"

First the defendentant's would be allowed to raise prices on tobacco to the point that SMOKERS would become ownerous to the 25 year length of the well planned tobacco lawsuit,

Then comes the benifactors and both political parties and the Governor that
Colluded to guarantee tobacco prices in Minnesota with SS 325D.30 the MN department of commerce would issue daily prices to all non signers, warning them that they can NOT sell for lwss than the established price of all benifactors of the 6.2 Billion in tobacco litigation, One million citizen smokers were totally excluded from the discussion, From beginning to end. ant that is the epitome of Minnesota tobacco politics.

Posted by Archie Anderson | March 17, 2011 7:23 PM

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