On December 14, 2008. the United States Supreme Court ruled that lawsuits against tobacco companies for misleading advertising in relation to light cigarettes are constitutional.  Specifically, the Supreme Court ruled that a state's laws can be used in fighting a tobacco company's claims of lights cigarettes.  The tobacco company defendents were arguing that because federal law prohibits states from regulating aspects of cigarette advertising relating to smoking or health, the claims of the plaintiffs were not allowable.  The majority Supreme Court opinion, however, was that the federal law did not apply when cigarette companies misrepresented their products.

The lawsuit against the tobacco companies was a class action lawsuit.  Three residents from the state of Maine had filed the suit against Altria Group and its Marlboro subsidiary, claiming that the company knew for a very long time that people who smoke light cigarettes take longer puffs.

Cigarettes are a major health risk, and tobacco companies have to make sure that peopel know that and that they do not intentionally mislead the tobacco companies.  For more information, contact the Chicago personal attorney lawyers of Friedman & Bonebrake at 312-466-8200 or by sending them a message from here.