Opinion ID: 76505
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the aemld, negligence, wantonness, and conspiracy claims

Text: 11 In response to our certified question asking when the statute of limitations began to run on Spain's AEMLD, negligence, wantonness, and conspiracy claims, the Alabama Supreme Court held that [t]he date Carolyn became addicted to nicotine is the date the statutory limitations period began to run as to Spain's tort claims. 2 Spain, at ___, 2003 WL 21489727 at . 12 A plurality of the Alabama Supreme Court also concluded that the continuing-tort doctrine causes a new limitations period to run every time a defendant commits a new tortious act which causes injury to the plaintiff. Id. As a result: [w]here multiple acts are involved, subsequent damages have been recognized as flowing from subsequent acts, and the fact that a limitations period may have expired as to an earlier act does not bar an action for the subsequent injury. Id. at ___, . Specific to this case, the plurality recognized that under the continuing tort doctrine, a new period of limitations for subsequent sales [of cigarettes] to an ... addict ... may produce additional injuries giving rise to new causes of action with new limitations periods.... Id. Therefore, although the statute of limitations first began to run on the date that Carolyn Spain became addicted to cigarettes, with each additional sale of cigarettes a new statute of limitations period begins as to any injuries sustained as a result of the sale. 3 13 As we have already noted, under Alabama's Wrongful Death Act, Ala.Code § 6-5-410, Spain is barred from bringing claims that his wife would have been barred from bringing under the requisite statute of limitations on the date of her death. Therefore, applying a two year statute of limitations and the continuing tort doctrine together, the AEMLD, negligence, wantonness, and conspiracy claims arising more than two years before the date of her death are barred by the two year statute of limitations. Those that arose within two years of her death are not time-barred.