Public Health Advocacy Institute

Report from the Reynolds American, Inc. Annual Shareholders Meeting — Winston-Salem, North Carolina, May 7, 2010

By Edward L. Sweda, Jr., Senior Attorney – PHAI NEW RULES REGARDING ADMITTANCE TO THE MEETING. The Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) Annual Shareholders Meeting took place in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Friday morning, May 7, 2010.  According to a March 22, 2010 “Dear Shareholder” letter from President and CEO Susan M. Ivey, those shareholders who […]

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More Florida Verdicts against Cigarette Companies – Buonomo

On May 20, 2010 after a three-week trial, a six-person Fort Lauderdale, Florida jury returned a verdict in favor of Connie Buonomo, the widow of Matthew Buonomo, who died from chronic obstructive lung disease in 2008 at the age of 80.Mr. Buonomo had started smoking as a teenager. The defendant, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. was

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Louisiana Court of Appeals Orders Tobacco Companies to Pay Over $230 Million for Court-Approved Smoking Cessation Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward L. Sweda or Mark Gottlieb (617) 373-8462 or (617) 373-2026 Nearly fourteen years after the lawsuit was originally filed, the Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit on Friday affirmed a trial court judgment in Scott v. American Tobacco Co., et al., that the major American tobacco companies must fund

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Florida Jury Returns Multi-Million Dollar Verdict for Family of Smoker against Liggett Group, Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward L. Sweda or Mark Gottlieb (617) 373-8462 or (617) 373-2026 APRIL 26, 2010 A Fort Lauderdale, Florida state court jury on Monday awarded $15 million in compensatory damages to the family of Margot Putney, a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer in 1995. The jury found the defendants’ negligence

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Tobacco Companies Are Dealt a Series of Major Litigation Losses in Florida During March And April – and There’s no End in Sight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  April 22, 2010 Contact: Edward L. Sweda or Mark Gottlieb (617) 373-2026 or (617) 373-8462 Florida juries and a Court of Appeal have help make March and April of 2010 two months during which tobacco companies are being held accountable for their massive, reprehensible misconduct that has wreaked havoc on the lives

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PHAI Publishes Case Study on NY State Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarette Law

PHAI Case Study on NY State Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarette Law PHAI documented New York State’s enactment of the first reduced ignition propensity law for cigarettes.  For decades, state and federal legislators have sought to change the manufacture of cigarettes in order to reduce the risk of fire, and the tobacco industry has sought to

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PHAI Publishes Case Study of the California Clean Cars Law

PHAI Case Study of the California Clean Cars Law  PHAI document the nation’s first piece of legislation, known as the “California Clean Cars Law,” which requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicle tail pipes. The state of California enjoys a special status under the federal Clean Air Act, allowing it to regulate vehicle emissions

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PHAI Publishes Case Study on Denver, CO Regional Transportation Districts Dropping of a Ban on Violent Video Game Advertisements

PHAI Case Study on Denver, CO Regional Transportation Districts Dropping of a Ban on Violent Video Game Advertisements PHAI documented the 2006 decision by the Denver, Colorado’s Regional Transportation Districts to drop a ban on violent video game advertisements. In the fall of 2006, Rockstar Games launched a national advertising campaign for its “Mature”-Rated video

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PHAI Publishes Case Study of MA Attorney General Tobacco Advertising Regulations and Legal Challenge to Them

PHAI Publishes Case Study of MA Attorney General Tobacco Advertising Regulations and Legal Challenge to Them PHAI documented the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office’s 1999 passage of regulations to limit particular advertising and sales practices for cigarettes, cigars, little cigars and smokeless tobacco products. The goal of the regulations was to protect youth from the predatory marketing

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PHAI Publishes Case Study on Portland, ME School Committee’s Initiative to Provide Prescription Contraception Products to Middle School Students

Case Study on Portland, ME School Committee’s Initiative to Provide Prescription Contraception Products to Middle School Students  PHAI documented the Portland School Committee’s 2007 vote to ratify a proposal from the King Student Health Center (“Health Center”) located at the King Middle School in Portland, ME to expand its services to provide prescription contraception to Health

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