Supreme Court of Illinois

In a class action against a tobacco manufacturer, the action was dismissed based on a finding that the defendant-manufacturer engaged in advertising and promotional conduct "specifically authorized by laws administered by any regulatory body or officer acting under statutory authority of this State or the United States" and, therefore, said conduct was exempt from suit under the Consumer Fraud Act.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/15/2005
• Published 06/05/2007

Judges

• Justice GARMAN delivered the opinion of the court:

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• George C. Lombardi, Jeffrey M. Wagner, Julie A. Bauer, Stuart Altschuler, James R. Thompson, of Winston & Strawn, L.L.P., Michele Odorizzi, Joel D. Bertocchi and Michael K. Forde, of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, L.L.P., Kevin M. Forde, Chicago, Larry Hepler and Beth A. Bauer, of Burroughs, Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank & True, L.L.P., Edwardsville, for appellant., Michael A. Pope, Aron J. Frakes, of McDermott, Will & Emery, Chicago, Donald J. Russell and Alan E. Untereiner, of Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orsek & Untereiner, L.L.P., and Robin S. Conrad, Washington, D.C., for amici curiae Chamber of Commerce of the United States et al., David E. Bennett, James A. Spizzo, of Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz, P.C., Chicago, for amicus curiae Illinois Manufacturers' Association., Robert N. Hochman, Chicago, Gene C. Schaerr and Stephen B. Kinnaird, Washington, D.C., of Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood, L.L.P., for amicus curiae National Association of Manufacturers., Jay H. Tressler, Dion J. Sartorio, of Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney & Priess, Chicago, Mary A. Wells and L. Michael Brooks, Jr., of Wells, Anderson & Race, L.L.C., Denver, CO (Hugh F. Young, Jr., Reston, Virginia, of counsel), for amicus curiae Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc., Michael W. Coffield, Joel J. Africk, Chicago, Andrew I. Gavil, Washington, D.C., for amici curiae American Medical Association et al., Thomas G. Griffin, Chicago, Megan E. Annitto, New York, New York, for amicus curiae Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth., Thomas R. Meites, Paul W. Mollica, of Meites, Mulder, Burger & Mollica, Chicago, Allison M. Zieve and Brian Wolfman, Washington, D.C., for amici curiae Public Citizen, Inc. et al., John B. Kralovec, of Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz, Chicago, for amici curiae Economists Robert Solow and George Akerlof., Eugene I. Pavalon, of Pavalon, Gifford, Laatsch & Marino, Chicago, Stephen Gardner, Dallas, Texas, Leslie A. Brueckner, F. Paul Bland, Jr., Arthur H. Bryant, Washington, D.C., for amici curiae Trial Lawyers for Public Justice et al.


• For Appellees:
  
• Stephen A. Swedlow, Robert L. King, of Swedlow & King, L.L.C., Joseph A. Power, Jr., Larry R. Rogers, Sr., Todd A. Smith, Larry R. Rogers, Jr., and Devon C. Bruce, of Power, Rogers & Smith, Chicago, Stephen M. Tillery and George A. Zelcs, of Korein Tillery, St. Louis, MO, Michael J. Brickman, Jerry Hudson Evans and Nina H. Fields, of Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, L.L.C., Charleston, SC, for appellees Sharon Price et al., Leonard F. Amari, of Amari & Locallo, J. Timothy Eaton and Kathleen Holper Champagne, of Ungaretti & Harris, L.L.P., Chicago, for appellees Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law et al.