OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2016. After deliberating for less than an hour, a St. Louis jury today
returned a verdict for Philip Morris USA (PM USA) in a Missouri
class-action “Lights” cigarette trial. In so doing, the jury rejected
plaintiffs’ request for as much as \\$1.8 billion in compensatory damages
plus punitive damages.
“The jury correctly rejected plaintiffs’ allegations of
misrepresentation and damages,” said
Murray Garnick, Altria Client
Services senior vice president and associate general counsel, speaking
on behalf of PM USA. “Over the years, we have been very successful in
defending these cases on a variety of legal grounds.”
The case was filed in 2000. Plaintiffs alleged that PM USA violated the
state’s Merchandising Practices Act in marketing Marlboro Lights.
Class members include Missouri residents who purchased Marlboro Lights
from 1995-2003.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the use of
“Lights” and other descriptors unless a manufacturer receives
authorization to use the terms. The FDA began regulating tobacco
products in 2009 with the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and
Tobacco Control Act.
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