United States Fifth Circuit

Where Louisiana law is unclear, there is arguably a reasonable basis for believing that a smoker who became addicted to cigarettes, prior to knowing that smoking was addictive, could establish redhibition or Article 2475 liability against Lousiana cigarette wholesalers.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/21/2000
• Published 12/21/2000

Judges

• GARWOOD, Circuit Judge:, Before KING, Chief Judge, and GARWOOD and STEWART, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Kenneth E. Badon (argued), Drew A. Ranier, Badon & Rainer, Lake Charles, LA, for Plaintiffs-Appellants., James R. Nieset, Plauche, Smith & Nieset, Lake Charles, LA, Theodore Martin Grossman, Mark A. Belasic, Dennis Leo Murphy, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Cleveland, OH, for RJR Nabisco Inc. and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., Patrick A. Juneau, Jr., Barry Louis Domigue, The Juneau Firm, Lafayette, LA, Deborah B. Rouen, Robert N. Markle, Jeffrey Edward Richardson, Scott Edward Delacroix, Charles F. Gay, Jr. (argued), Adams & Reese, New Orleans, LA, for Philip Morris Companies, Inc. and Philip Morris Inc., Lloyd N. Shields, Daniel Lund, III, Shields, Mott & Lund, New Orleans, LA, for BAT Industries, Ltd., John E. McElligott, Jr., Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier, McElligott & Swift, Lafayette, LA, for Pelican Cigar Co., Malone & Hyde, Inc. and Schlesinger Wholesalers & Automotive Cigarette Serv., Inc., Carmelite M. Bertaut, William F. Grace, Jr., Chaffe, McCall, Phillips, Toler & Sarpy, New Orleans, LA, William L. Durham, II, King & Spaulding, Atlanta, GA, for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Batus Holdings, Inc., American Tobacco Co. and Fortune Brands, Inc., Ellen Beth Malow, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, Houston, TX, Madeleine M. Fischer, Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrier & Denegre, New Orleans, LA, for Liggett Group, Inc., Brooke Group Ltd. and Liggett & Myers, Inc., David H. Nelson, Theus, Grisham, Davis & Leigh, Monroe, LA, for Council for Tobacco Research USA, Inc., Alan H. Goodman, Thomas Mente Benjamin, Lemle & Kelleher, New Orleans, LA, for The Tobacco Institute, Inc.