Judge denies class action in cigarette lawsuits
Practice Legal News
A federal judge in Maine yesterday denied class-action status to four lawsuits accusing Philip Morris USA of misleading smokers about the health risks of light cigarettes.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. concerns lawsuits that were filed in Illinois, Maine, California and Washington, D.C., alleging that Henrico County-based Philip Morris USA marketed light cigarettes as healthier than regular cigarettes in violation of various consumer-protection and false-advertising laws.
The lawsuits are among 15 cases that were consolidated for pre-trial proceedings in federal court. In his ruling, Woodcock said the plaintiffs had not met the requirements for class-action status.
"While the judge has yet to rule on the remaining cases in the multidistrict litigation, we believe this decision should serve as a persuasive authority in denying class certification in those and other similar cases as well," said Murray Garnick, senior vice president and associate general counsel for Philip Morris USA parent company Altria Group Inc.
The federal court ruling in Maine yesterday was in contrast to a decision in a separate lawsuit in New Hampshire state court Monday.
In that case, a superior court judge granted class-action status to a lawsuit against Philip Morris USA over its marketing of light cigarettes. A spokesman for Philip Morris USA said the company will appeal that decision to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Related listings
-
CLS Mitigation Consulting Services “Defending the Damned”
Practice Legal News 11/06/2010CLS Mitigation & Consulting Services " Representing clients accused of horrific crimes is a daunting, soul-searching, tall order of business for any lawyer. Defending people like Joe Atkins who shot 13-year-old Karen Patterson to death in her bed...
-
When Doctors Go Bad – Misdiagnosis of Cervical Cancer
Practice Legal News 11/06/2010Every day, somewhere in America more than 300 innocent men, women, and children become victims of medical malpractice at the hands of incompetent and negligent doctors. Maybe just like your own family doctor. And these people end up either dead or pe...
-
The Truth About Medical Malpractice Suits
Practice Legal News 11/02/2010“Dr. William J. Erwin failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care for an OB/GYN in the year 2007, and as a result, Rebecca Gatti, a newborn baby girl, suffered severe brain damage which is lifelong and irreversible.” Those brutally frank w...
Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.