Pending lawsuits in Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas alleging an array of charges against the tobacco industry, including a charge that the industry promotional campaigns. Other industries facing an onslaught of health-related complaints, such as asbestos companies, are looking to Congress for the same type of protection from civil lawsuits. But academics and anti-tobacco activists remained skeptical about passing legislation that granted immunity to tobacco. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said the settlement is no longer viable. Now it is in the hands of Congress.
Legal experts see trouble on the horizon for legislation, too.
As more players enter the fray, the chance for legislation lessens, said John F. Banzhaf III, a law professor at George Washington University. In Minnesota, where one of those lawsuits is pending, the criminal case against DNA Plant Technology Corp., the California company, was seen as vindication for holding out against signing the deal with the other attorneys general. We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Justice will be coming out with.