United States Third Circuit

The tobacco companies, in asking Congress to negotiate a settlement of the states' attorneys general lawsuits, are entitled to immunity from antitrust liability under the Noerr-Pennington immunity doctrine.

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/14/2000
• Decided 06/19/2001
• Published 06/19/2001

Judges

• Before SCIRICA, FUENTES and GARTH, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• David F. Dobbins, (Argued), Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, New York, NY, William M. Wycoff, Thorp, Reed & Armstrong, Pittsburgh, PA, Alan R. Wentzel, Windels, Marx, Lane & Mittendorf, New York, NY, Dennis J. O'Brien, Pittsburgh, PA, Attorneys for Appellants., Erik S. Jaffe, (Argued), Washington, DC, Thomas C. O'Brien, Corning, NY, Attorneys for Amici Curiae-Appellants, The Cato Institute, The Competitive Enterprise Institute, and The National Smokers Alliance.


• For Appellees:
  
• Douglas L. Wald, (Argued), Arnold & Porter, Washington, DC, Bernard D. Marcus, Marcus & Shapira, Pittsburgh, PA, Attorneys for Appellee, Philip Morris Incorporated., Gregory G. Katsas, (Argued), Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Washington, DC, John E. Iole, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Pittsburgh, PA, Attorneys for Appellee, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Inc., Timothy P. Ryan, Eckert, Seamans, Cherin & Mellott, Pittsburgh, PA, Attorney for Appellee, Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp., Joel M. Ressler, Office of Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, Attorney for Amici Curiae-Appellees, Attorneys General of Pennsylvania, California, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.