United States Ninth Circuit

A suit against a tobacco company, alleging unwitting addiction and infliction of health problems, is barred by the statute of limitations where it can be assumed under California law that plaintiff knew or should have known, years before filing suit, that smoking causes addiction.

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/22/2002
• Published 11/22/2002

Judges

• Before HALL, KOZINSKI and McKEOWN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Maher W. Soliman, San Francisco, CA, pro se.


• For Appellees:
  
• Alicia J. Donahue and Patrick J. Gregory of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, San Francisco, CA, for appellees Philip Morris, Inc., and Philip Morris Companies, Inc., W. Bruce Wold and Shelley L. Brittman of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, San Francisco, CA, for appellees Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, individually and as successor by merger to the American Tobacco Company., Mary C. Oppedahl of Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May P.C., Oakland, CA, for appellee Tobacco Institute, Inc., Steven H. Bergman and Mary Elizabeth McGarry of Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY, for appellee B.A.T. Industries p.l.c., Thomas G. Scarvie and Richard Shively of Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin P.C., San Francisco, CA, for appellee R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company., Sharon S. Mequet and Daniel J. Friedman of Loeb & Loeb LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for appellee Council for Tobacco Research-U.S.A., Inc.