Pa. Smokers Denied Class-Action Status

A lawsuit by smokers in Pennsylvania against the biggest U.S. cigarette companies was denied class-action status, the second such ruling in recent weeks. U.S. District Judge Clarence Newcomer ruled that the variety of the claims by the smokers, who used different brands for different periods and have different illnesses, outweighed the similarity in their claims that the companies deceived them about the addictive nature of nicotine. A judge in Missouri recently refused to certify a class in that state. Judges in Florida and Louisiana have approved class actions by smokers, and a New York judge suggested that he would probably do so.