Lawyers for the tobacco industry yesterday urged a federal judgeto toss out a class-action civil rights suit brought byAfrican-Americans smokers of menthol cigarettes who say they weretargeted in an aggressive marketing campaign but were never warned ofthe increased health risks of smoking mentholated cigarettes.
In the suit, plaintiffs’ attorneys at Black & Adams and ShellerLudwig & Badey argue that African-American smokers were treateddifferently from white smokers since the ads for menthol cigarettesoften featured black models on billboards in black neighborhoods and inmagazines aimed at black readers.
