Supreme Court of California

Judgment imposing fine on defendant, tobacco company, for violations of a statute prohibiting distribution of cigarettes as free samples is reversed as potentially unconstitutional and remanded for fact finding to determine whether defendant believed, in good faith, that its conduct conformed to the law, and whether the Attorney General delayed in notifying defendant that its conduct violated the law in order to allow penalties to accumulate.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/22/2005
• Published 12/22/2005

Judges

• KENNARD, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabin, Marc Haber, Chandra Miller Fienen, San Francisco;  Dechert LLP and H. Joseph Escher III, San Francisco, for Defendant and Appellant., Fred J. Hiestand, Sacramento, for The Civil Justice Association of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, Kenneth S. Geller and Donald M. Falk, Palo Alto, for The Product Liability Advisory Council as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Manuel M. Medeiros, State Solicitor General, Richard M. Frank and Tom Greene, Chief Assistant Attorneys General, Dennis Eckhart, Assistant Attorney General, Peter M. Williams and Michelle Fogliani, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent., David C. Vladek;  Law Offices of Marvin E. Krakow, Marvin E. Krakow, Los Angeles;  Alan B. Morrison;  Donald W. Garner;  Speir & Whitney and Richard J. Whitney, for Public Citizen, Inc., as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., John Cary Sims;  David C. Vladeck, Richard McKewen;  and Brian Wolfman, for Public Citizen, Inc., and National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., Catherine I. Hanson, San Francisco, and Hans P. Lee, for California Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and American Medical Association as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent., Colantuono & Levin, Michael G. Colantuono, Los Angeles, and Hannah Bentley, for League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties and Tobacco Control Legal Consortium as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent.