Smoking Case
Your thoughtful editorial (June 29) on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Cipollone smoking case was right on point, especially in regard to crowded trial court dockets.
The 100,000 asbestos victims who are waiting for their day in court would not have been there in the first place if it were not for secrecy agreements. Over 50 years ago, the first information about the health dangers of asbestos was sealed away from the public under a secret settlement; as a result, asbestos was used extensively throughout the next three decades, exposing thousands of Americans to suffocating, deadly asbestosis.
Similarly, the tobacco industry used marketing slogans like “Just What the Doctor Ordered!” and “Play It Safe--Smoke Chesterfields” in the face of health studies proving the dangers of cigarette smoking.
If the public is made aware of health hazards and can make informed decisions about their own safety, there will be fewer lawsuits and less crowded courts.
RONALD H. ROUDA, President
California Trial Lawyers Assn.
Sacramento
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