FEDERAL / NATIONAL LEGAL NEWS - Supreme Court Will Hear Arguments on "Light" Cigarette Case

February 1, 2008

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a lawsuit by Maine smokers against Philip Morris for fraudulently advertising “light” cigarettes.  The appeals court ruling allowed the case to go forward for trial, but Altria (the parent company of Philip Morris) appealed the Supreme Court.  “For over 30 years, Philip Morris falsely reported on its cigarette packages that consumers would receive lower amounts of tar and nicotine from Marlboro Lights than from regular Marlboro cigarettes,” the plaintiffs stated in their arguments asking the Supreme Court to reject the appeal.  Philip Morris contends that federal cigarette labeling laws preempt the state consumer protection laws on which the lawsuit was based.  The decision by the Supreme Court could determine the fate of 30 similar lawsuits around the country against cigarette companies.

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