Six plaintiffs who accuse Philip Morris of misleading smokers with “light” branded cigarettes survived a summary judgment motion on Thursday, allowing their claims against the tobacco company to remain part of federal multidistrict litigation underway in Maine.
Philip Morris had argued that, as a matter of law, the six plaintiffs could not show that PM’s alleged misrepresentations about safety caused them to continue smoking light cigarettes because they kept using the products after learning of the health risks involved. The plaintiffs countered that they were addicted and were incapable of stopping, and they invoked public policy considerations in maintaining that Philip Morris should not benefit from the addictive nature of their product.
