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MSA Constitutional Precedents

Home / Our Work / Center for Tobacco and Public Health / Tobacco Center Initiatives / MSA Constitutional Precedents

Cases in which the Tobacco Center has provided legal support and coordination for the Settling States’ successful defense of over 20 lawsuits challenging the MSA and related statutes on constitutional grounds:

  • Star Scientific, Inc. v. Beales, 278 F.3d 339 (4th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Star Scientific, Inc. v. Kilgore, 537 U.S. 818 (2002) (due process, equal protection, Commerce Clause, Compact Clause).
  • Mariana v. Fisher, 226 F. Supp. 2d 575 (M.D. Pa. 2002), aff’d on other grounds, 338 F.3d 189 (3d Cir. 2003), cert. denied sub nom. Mariana v. Pappert, 540 U.S. 1179 (2004) (Commerce Clause, Compact Clause).
  • Grand River Enter. Six Nations Ltd. v. Pryor, 2003 WL 22232974 (S.D.N.Y. Sep 29, 2003) (Commerce Clause, due process, equal protection, preemption, First Amendment), vacated in part on other grounds, 2004 WL 1594869 (S.D.N.Y. Jul. 15, 2004), rev’d as to Commerce Clause claim, 425 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2005), rehearing denied (Jan. 3, 2006), cert. denied sub nom. King v. Grand River Enterprises Six Nations, Ltd., 127 S.Ct. 379 (Oct. 10, 2006), on remand, 2006 WL 1517603 (S.D.N.Y.) (preliminary injunction denied), aff’d, 481 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 2007), summary judgment granted to defendants, 783 F. Supp. 2d 516 (S.D.N.Y. 2011).
  • Freedom Holdings, Inc. v. Spitzer, 357 F.3d 205, reh’g denied, 363 F.3d 149 (2d Cir. 2004), on remand, 447 F. Supp. 2d 230 (S.D.N.Y. 2004), recon. denied, 2004 WL 2251668 (S.D.N.Y. Oct 06, 2004), aff’d on other grounds, 408 F.3d 112 (2d Cir. 2005), on remand, Freedom Holdings, Inc. v. Cuomo, 592 F. Supp. 2d 684 (S.D.N.Y. 2009), aff’d, 624 F.3d 38 (2d Cir. 2010), ), cert. denied, 131 S.Ct. 1810 ( 2011) (Commerce Clause).
  • Forces Action Project, LLC v. State of California, No. C99-0607MJJ (N.D. Cal. Jan. 15, 2002), aff’d, 2003 WL 1900848 (9th Cir. Apr. 17, 2003) (No. 02-15336) (motion to amend complaint to add Commerce Clause claim denied on ground of futility).
  • Coker v. Foti, 2006 WL 3307445, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82537(W.D. La. Nov. 9, 2006), C.A. No. 1372 (W.D. La. Sep. 24, 2009), aff’d sub nom. S&M Brands, Inc. v. Caldwell, 614 F.3d 172 (5th Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 131 S.Ct. 1601 (2011) (Compact Clause, Commerce Clause, due process).
  • S&M Brands, Inc. v. Summers, 393 F. Supp. 2d 604 (M.D. Tenn. 2005), aff’d, 228 Fed.Appx. 260 (6th Cir. 2007) (due process, equal protection, First Amendment).
  • Xcaliber Int’l Ltd., LLC v. Ieyoub, 377 F. Supp. 2d 567 (E.D.La. 2005), vacated and remanded, Xcaliber Int’l. Ltd., LLC v. Foti, 442 F.3d 233 (5th Cir. 2006), on remand, 2009 WL 1324042, 2009 U.S. Dist. Lexis 39081 (E.D. La. May 7, 2009), aff’d, 612 F.3d 368 (5th Cir. 2010) (First Amendment, due process, equal protection).
  • International Tobacco Partners, Ltd. v. Kline, 475 F. Supp. 2d 1078 (D.Kan. 2007), appeal docketed, No. 07-3075 (10th Cir. 2007) (Commerce Clause), appeal dismissed (10th Cir. Sept. 30, 2008).
  • Xcaliber Int’l Ltd. v. Edmondson, (C.A. 04-CV-922-EA(C)) (N.D. Okla. Apr. 5, 2005), aff’d sub nom. KT&G Corp. v. Attorney Gen’l of State of Oklahoma, 535 F.3d 1114 (10th Cir. 2008) (First Amendment, due process, equal protection, Commerce Clause).
  • Xcaliber Int’l Ltd. v. Kline, No. 05-2261, 2006 WL 288705 (D.Kan. July 29, 2005, Feb. 7, 2006), aff’d sub nom. KT&G Corp. v. Attorney Gen’l of State of Oklahoma,, 535 F.3d 1114 (10th Cir. 2008) (First Amendment, due process, equal protection).
  • Grand River Enter. Six Nations, Ltd. v. Beebe, 418 F. Supp. 2d 1082 (W.D. Ark. 2006), aff’d, 574 F.3d 929 (8th Cir. 2009) (First Amendment, equal protection, due process, Commerce Clause, preemption), cert. denied, 130 S.Ct. 2095 (2010).
  • International Tobacco Partners, Ltd. v. Beebe, 420 F. Supp. 2d 989 (W.D. Ark. 2006) (First Amendment, due process, equal protection).
  • Dos Santos, S.A. v. Beebe, 418 F. Supp. 2d 1064 (W.D. Ark. 2006) (First Amendment, due process, equal protection, Commerce Clause, preemption).
  • North American Trading Co. v. National Ass’n of Attys Gen’l, Civ. Action No. 01-01600 (D.D.C. Sept. 18, 2001), aff’d on other grounds, No. 01-7173 (D.C. Cir. Nov. 25, 2002) (Commerce Clause).
  • Star Scientific, Inc. v. Carter, 2001 WL 1112673 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 20, 2001) (Commerce Clause).
  • PTI, Inc. v. Philip Morris Inc., 100 F. Supp. 2d 1179 (C.D. Cal. 2000) (Compact Clause, Commerce Clause, equal protection, due process, bill of attainder, preemption).
  • Hise v. Philip Morris Inc., 46 F. Supp. 2d 1201 (N.D. Okla. 1999), aff’d mem., 208 F.3d 226 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 959 (2000) (Compact Clause).
  • VIBO Corp., Inc. v. Conway, 594 F. Supp. 2d 758 (W.D. Ky 2009), aff’d, 669 F.3d 675 (6th Cir. 2012) (equal protection, due process, Commerce Clause, Compact Clause).

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