Jump to full article: Gerson Lehrman Group, 2009-09-29
Author: * Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor
Intro: Summary
A win in the U.S. Supreme Court would bring at least temporary relief to cigarette makers. But the odds are against the Court taking the case, and even if Philip Morris did win in Court, the FDA might use its newly expanded powers to regulate them anyway.
Cigarette manufacturers have engaged in legal "attrition" since the first lawsuits against them were brought in the 1950s. The federal court that found members of the industry liable for RICO violations unearthed documents showing that advisors recommended litigation to the nth degree, sometimes only in order to drain the opposing side of their resources
The litigate-to-the-end strategy kept the cigarette industry healthy for many years, but there is evidence to suggest that this strategy is not as successful a bulwark as it once was. . . .
the chances of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing Philip Morris' case are against them
Jump to full article » |