MO LONGS GET READY FOR SOME FIREWORKS TOMORROW! This just out:
Florida Federal Court Judge Dismisses Union Fund Class Action
Against Philip Morris U.S.A.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 1998--Today, in a ruling that should have widespread implications
across the country, United States District Court Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp dismissed all claims in a union health care
fund class action. The union was seeking reimbursement for costs to its health care fund attributable to the alleged
smoking related illnesses of its members.
''We said from the day that this suit was filed that the plaintiff's legal theories were totally without merit,'' said Steven
B. Rissman, senior counsel for Philip Morris. ''Judge Ryskamp agreed.''
After rejecting all of the plaintiffs' claims, the court concluded in its 16-page opinion that: ''The tobacco industry has, as
of late, become the whipping-boy of American political discourse. The fact that the tobacco industry has recently become
very unpopular, however, is insufficient ground for this Court to overturn well-established common law rules and
well-settled methods of statutory interpretation to permit recovery where recovery would otherwise be barred. If courts
were to ignore the law and permit recovery as a matter of course against an unpopular defendant for the sole reason that
the defendant is unpopular, courts would have abandoned their constitutionally-mandated role of interpreting the law and
would have assumed the role of political institutions.''
Philip Morris, along with other tobacco company defendants, will continue to urge courts throughout this country to
dismiss similar claims made by union health and welfare funds in other lawsuits.
Contact:
Dolly Colby, 212/878-2144
More Quotes and News:
Philip Morris Companies Inc (NYSE:MO - news)
Related News Categories: food/beverage, tobacco
All I can say is, it's about time somebody showed some sense.
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