Firm Represents Product Liability Advisory Council in Amicus Brief to Illinois Supreme Court

On January 21, 2015 the Firm filed one of  two amicus briefs accepted by the Illinois Supreme Court on behalf of the manufacturer-defendant in Price v. Philip Morris, an Illinois consumer fraud case that awarded class plaintiffs $10.1 billion (including $1.8 billion in fees to the plaintiffs’ trial lawyers)–the largest judicial award in Illinois history.  The award rests on the claim that labeling of the defendant’s “light” cigarettes violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.  The amicus brief, written on behalf of  the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), criticized  the Price judgment for lacking the required legal elements of deception, causation and commonality, contrary to Illinois legal requirements and consumer fraud law in most other states.  The brief also showed how the judgment, if left in place, would lead to deleterious effects on Illinois consumers, Illinois businesses and the courts.

A copy of the brief is attached here. For further information please contact Stephanie Scharf, Sarah Marmor or George D.Sax