Appeals court revives lawsuit against cigarette makers

St. Paul, Minn. (AP) — A previously dismissed lawsuit claiming deceptive marketing by tobacco companies has been revived by the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Tuesday's decision allows two longtime smokers to sue R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company over its marketing of light, or "lowered tar," filtered cigarettes. The lawsuit seeks class-action status.

The men say marketing claims of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. violate state consumer fraud laws and were misleading about the level of tar and nicotine.

A Hennepin County District Court judge had dismissed the case on the grounds that federal law prevented a case in state court. The case now goes back to Hennepin County.