Florida smokers and their families who are suing tobacco companies won a resounding victory on March 14, 2013, when the Supreme Court of Florida upheld its landmark 2006 ruling in Engle v. Liggett Group, Inc., 945 So.2d 1246 (Fla. 2006). By a vote of 6 to 1, Florida’s highest court ruled in favor of the […]
Big Victory at Florida Supreme Court is Bad News for Cigarette Manufacturers Read More »
The Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law and its President, Dick Daynard has long sought to make an impact on public health and policy by thinking outside the box. In an op-ed piece published in today’s New York Times, Daynard looks at an endgame for cigarette-caused addiction, disease and death in
PHAI’s Daynard Maps Bold Endgame for Smoking in United States in NY Times Op-Ed Read More »
It has been nearly 15 years since Congress enacted the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). In that time, marketing in a digital world has become ubiquitous and, often, indistinguishable from other content. An essential part of this transformation of marketing involves providing a a surprisingly wide variety of information about the users to advertisers
PHAI’s Cara Wilking on updating children’s online privacy protection Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward L. Sweda 617-373-8462 Tobacco companies face the prospect of having to pay billions of dollars in liability to Florida smokers after the U.S. Supreme Court today denied Reynolds American’s petition for certiorari in the case of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Mathilde Martin, No. 11-754. The company had appealed a
Two historic class action lawsuits that were filed in 1998 finally reached trial on March 12, 2012 in Montreal. The cases, Cecilia Letourneau v. JTI_Macdonald Corp., Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. and Conseil quebecois sur le tabac et la santé and Jean-Yves Blais v. JTI-Macdonald Corp., Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.
Canadian Class Action Lawsuits Seek Billions of Dollars from Major Tobacco Companies Read More »
Food and beverage marketing targeting children is a major focus of the food and beverage industry because, as the Institute of Medicine’s report on the subject bluntly declared, “marketing works.” Deceptive and unfair marketing to promote high-calorie low-nutrient foods and beverages affect parent-consumer food purchasing decisions and induce demand among children for products that contribute
PHAI Releases New Resources to Use Law to Fight Junk Food Marketing to Kids Read More »
In a May 18, 2011 Letter to the Editor published in the Boston Globe, PHAI Staff Attorney Cara Wilking argues that elimination of the sales tax exemption for sodas is a reasonable first step to reduce the impact of sugary drinks on obesity. However, a per-ounce excise tax would have a more significant impact, according
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward L. Sweda, Jr. or Mark Gottlieb 617-373-8462 or 617-373-2026 A Jacksonville, Florida jury this week assessed $34 million in punitive damages against tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for their reprehensible misconduct in the case of Andy Allen v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al. This award
Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds hit by $40 million verdict in Florida this week Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward L. Sweda (617-373-8462) or Mark Gottlieb (617-373-2026) A jury in Gainesville, Florida today assessed punitive damages in the amount of $1.5 million against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJR) and another $1.5 million against Philip Morris (PM) in an Engle Progeny case. The same jury on Tuesday night awarded the family
Florida Jury Returns Multi-Million Verdict Against Tobacco Companies Read More »
On February 21, 2011, the local Cambridge newspaper, the Cambridge Chronicle, published a guest opinion piece by PHAI’s executive director supporting efforts to prohibit smoking in public parks in that city. A similar proposal is pending in Boston and New York City passed one earlier this month. Gottlieb’s commentary can be seen here. He mentions
PHAI’s Gottlieb Supports Smoke-Free Parks in Cambridge Chronicle Guest Commentary Read More »