Judge Denies Class Action in Tobacco Case
03/27/01
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philip Morris Cos. Inc., the world's top cigarette firm, said on Tuesday that an federal judge in Illinois rejected a plaintiffs' request for class action certification in a lawsuit against tobacco companies.
Fifteen federal courts have now rejected class actions against tobacco companies, according to Philip Morris, which, along with other cigarette makers, has been the subject of smokers' lawsuits.
In the case of Morris Guillory and Arnold Melamed vs. The American Tobacco Co., the plaintiffs are asking that tobacco companies provide medical monitoring and smoking cessation programs for current and former smokers, Philip Morris said.
One of the reasons U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman denied class action status, according to Philip Morris, was because ''medical monitoring claims require an analysis of individual issues.''
Shares of Philip Morris were down 34 cents at $44.91 in New York Stock Exchange trading on Tuesday morning. The stock's 52-week range is between $19.125 and $52.04.
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