Tobacco.org

• Phillip Morris Uses Prop 64 to Sink Suit Accusing Company of Lying to Consumers, Marketing Cigarettes to Kids 

Phillip Morris used Proposition 64 to have a class action lawsuit charging the tobacco giant with marketing tobacco to minors and deceiving consumers about the health effects of "light" cigarettes decertified this week. Phillip Morris contributed $200,000 to pass Proposition 64, which big industry proponents claimed would not apply retroactively or to pending suits before the November election.

Proposition 64 proponents also told the public that the initiative was aimed at stopping baseless suits against small businesses, not legitimate consumer protection cases against big business. It is, however, the initiative's large corporate donors that are aggressively seeking to dismiss unfair business competition lawsuits, like the Phillip Morris case, filed against them prior to the election, according to consumer advocates.

"Phillip Morris gave $200,000 to Proposition 64 to avoid accountability for marketing tobacco to kids and lying about the health dangers of cigarettes," said Carmen Balber, consumer advocate with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). "These attacks by Phillip Morris and more than 100 other big corporations on pending unfair business competition suits are the tip of the iceberg revealing that Prop. 64 is the greatest threat to consumer, public health and environmental protections in decades."

Jump to full article »