Legal
State
La. could lose $140 million in suit payout (LA)
The State of Louisiana is in jeopardy of losing $140 million in funds received from tobacco companies through the 1998 tobacco settlement. In the 1998 settlement between several large tobacco companies and states, the tobacco companies agreed to pay the states more than $200 billion to help states recoup healthcare costs attributed to smoking. The tobacco companies are claiming that Louisiana failed to meet obligations agreed to under the settlement, and as a result, the state should forfeit a 2014 payment of up to $140 million from the tobacco companies. State officials were supposed to regulate off-brand cigarette companies, and the tobacco companies are disputing whether enough has been done to accomplish this. This stipulation was created in order to prevent tobacco companies not a part of the settlement to lower prices, thereby undercutting those involved in the lawsuit. An arbitration panel of three retired federal judges will review the matter. Click here to read more.
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National
Alleged conflict of interest on FDA tobacco panel
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon has allowed the lawsuit tobacco companies R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard Tobacco have brought against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products’ (FDA-CTP) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to proceed. The tobacco companies claim that there is a conflict of interest on the TPSAC, the scientific panel responsible for regulating tobacco products. TPSAC is comprised of eight members, and three allegedly present a conflict of interest due to their relationship with pharmaceutical companies that could benefit from anti-smoking regulations. The Commissioner of the FDA has refused to change the makeup of the panel, and various anti-tobacco groups state that this lawsuit is an attempt to hinder policies that are effective in reducing tobacco use and discredit advocates who support these policies. Click here to read more.
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