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A class-action lawsuit charging major tobacco companies [6] and a public relations firm [7] with a "decades-long campaign of deceptive advertising and misleading statements" can proceed, ruled the California Supreme Court. The suit is being brought against cigarette makers Philip Morris [8], R.J. Reynolds [9] and Lorillard [10], and the PR firm Hill & Knowlton [11]. The suit was originally filed in 1997, but changes to California's class-action requirements put its status in question. The recent ruling affirms that the case can proceed as a class-action suit, with "only a handful of plaintiffs leading the suit" required to "show proof of damage and deception, not all plaintiffs in the suit."
Links:
[1] http://dev.prwatch.org/users/6/diane-farsetta
[2] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/health
[3] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations
[4] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/tobacco
[5] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdev.prwatch.org%2Fspin%2F2009%2F05%2F8376%2Flawsuit-against-smokers-and-spinners-proceeds&linkname=Lawsuit%20Against%20Smokers%20and%20Spinners%20Proceeds
[6] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/tobacco_industry
[7] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/public_relations_firm
[8] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Philip_Morris
[9] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/R.J._Reynolds
[10] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Lorillard
[11] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Hill_&_Knowlton
[12] http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?post_date=2009-05-19&id=16240