Improving Health Through the Power of Law
Improving Health Through the Power of Law
» The Verdict Is In presents highlights from the landmark opinion
January 5, 2009
New smoke-free policy set for federal offices
A new federal regulation prohibits smoking in the courtyards of federal buildings, and within 25 feet of doorways and air intake ducts, and also prohibits designated smoking rooms in federal buildings. The policy will be implemented within six months. Read more about the latest smoke-free federal regulation.
Doug Blanke, Director of the Tobacco Law Center, was quoted in the Dec. 23 Finance and Commerce story, "’Light’ cigarette ruling will reignite Minnesota tobacco litigation.” Blanke said the U.S. Supreme Court in the recent Altria Group, Inc. v. Good decision, addressed what has been the “key issue” in several pending Minnesota “light” cigarette cases. “Blanke noted that the plaintiffs in the Minnesota marketing-related cases against ‘light’ cigarette makers are not seeking damages for an illness such as cancer, but instead are seeking monetary compensation for being lured by false claims into buying a product they otherwise would not have bought. Thus, plaintiffs don’t have to worry as much about causation issues as they would in a cancer case.” He pointed out that compensatory damages for individual plaintiffs are unlikely to be large dollar amounts, but that these cases still can be very lucrative since they can be combined into class actions and punitive damages may also be available.
» Read the Finance and Commerce story online (member login required)
The latest issue of the Legal Update, the newsletter of the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, is now available. This issue highlights last week’s important Supreme Court “light” cigarette ruling, Altria Group, Inc. v. Good, upholding the ability of smokers to sue tobacco manufacturers for deceptive health claims. Also featured are the proceedings of our legal symposium on the merits of outdoor smoking restrictions and employment policies designed to discourage smoking, along with updates on the recent Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; the appeal of the federal government’s racketeering lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers; and California litigation involving tobacco-free drug stores.
» Read the fall 2008 issue of the Legal Update. PDF, 1.6 Kb
The Tobacco Law Center works to improve tobacco control laws and policies at local, national, and international levels. Through research, policy development, and analysis, technical assistance and consulting, the center helps policymakers, nonprofit organizations, advocates, and health professionals address tobacco-related legal issues.