Dewey v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.

542 A.2d 919, 225 N.J. Super. 375
CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedMay 23, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 542 A.2d 919 (Dewey v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dewey v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 542 A.2d 919, 225 N.J. Super. 375 (N.J. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

225 N.J. Super. 375 (1988)
542 A.2d 919

CLAIRE E. DEWEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS EXECUTRIX OF THE ESTATE OF WILFRED E. DEWEY, DECEASED, PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT,
v.
BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO CORPORATION, DEFENDANT-RESPONDENT, AND R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, R.J. REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES, INC., AND AMERICAN BRANDS, INC. (FORMERLY THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, INC.), DEFENDANTS.
CLAIRE E. DEWEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS EXECUTRIX OF THE ESTATE OF WILFRED E. DEWEY, DECEASED, PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,
v.
BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO CORPORATION, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT, AND R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, R.J. REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES, INC., AND AMERICAN BRANDS, INC. (FORMERLY THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, INC.), DEFENDANTS.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Argued February 29, 1988.
Decided May 23, 1988.

*376 Before Judges PETRELLA, BAIME and ASHBEY.

Marc Z. Edell argued the cause for plaintiff-appellant and respondent Claire E. Dewey (Budd, Larner, Gross, Picillo, Rosenbaum, Greenberg & Sade, attorneys; Alan M. Darnell (Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer) of counsel; Marc Z. Edell and Cynthia A. Walters, on the brief).

Martin London, New York counsel, admitted pro hac vice, argued the cause for defendant-respondent and appellant *377 Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (Norris, McLaughlin & Marcus, attorneys; William C. Slattery, on the brief).

The opinion of the court was delivered by ASHBEY, J.A.D.

In this cigarette product liability action, plaintiff sought damages from defendant cigarette manufacturer, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, for the death of her husband. Judge Lucchi granted defendant's motion for partial summary judgment, dismissing that count of plaintiff's complaint which asserted liability based upon defendant's failure to warn of the dangers of smoking its product, Viceroy cigarettes, but denied the balance of defendant's motion. By leave granted, the parties separately appealed from these rulings. For purposes of this opinion we consolidate these appeals and affirm, substantially for the reasons expressed by Judge Lucchi in his written opinion, reported at 216 N.J. Super. 347 (Law Div. 1986), and subject to such modifications as intervening law makes necessary.[1]

We are first satisfied, as was Judge Lucchi, that plaintiff's cause of action for failure to warn is preempted by the 1965 Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 U.S.C.A. sec. 1331 et seq. (Labeling Act) (216 N.J. Super. at 350). We recognize that Judge Lucchi's ruling was grounded in his conviction that he was bound by the federal courts in their interpretation of federal statutes, particularly by the opinion of the Third Circuit in Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., 789 F.2d 181, *378 185-188 (3 Cir.1986), cert. den. ___ U.S. ___, 107 S.Ct. 907, 93 L.Ed.2d 857 (1987) (216 N.J. Super. at 351-352).

We need not rule, however, on whether Judge Lucchi was bound by the Third Circuit opinion.[2] Our independent review convinces us that the Labeling Act does preempt plaintiff's common law action for failure to warn. 15 U.S.C.A. sec. 1334. See Feldman v. Lederle Laboratories, 97 N.J. 429, 460 (1984); Andre v. Union Tank Car Co., Inc., 213 N.J. Super. 51, 65 (Law Div. 1985), aff'd 216 N.J. Super. 219 (App.Div. 1987).

Any preemption analysis begins with examining whether the preemption is "express." "Express preemption" is defined as created by Congress's declaration to preclude state regulation in the given area, and "implied preemption" occurs when Congress, "through the structure or objectives of federal law, has impliedly precluded state regulation in the area." L. Tribe, American Constitutional Law, sec. 6-25 at 481 n. 14 (2d ed. 1988).

Because all of the cases construing the preemptive effect of the Act have concluded that what is involved is "implied preemption", we consider Professor Tribe's further words apposite.

These ... categories of preemption are anything but analytically air-tight. For example, even when Congress declares its preemptive intent in express language, *379 deciding exactly what it meant to preempt often resembles an exercise in implied preemptive analysis. [Ibid.]

The specific preemptive language is:

(a) No statement relating to smoking and health, other than the statement required by [the Act], shall be required on any cigarette package.
(b) No requirement or prohibition based on smoking and health shall be imposed under State law with respect to the advertising or promotion of any cigarettes the packages of which are labeled in conformity with the provisions of this chapter. [15 U.S.C.A. sec. 1334].

Admittedly, section 1334 does not expressly prohibit state tort actions which are predicated on asserting that the cigarette manufacturer's required warning on the package is inadequate. In construing the congressional meaning, we look to the nature of the subject. Tort claims are an area traditionally reserved to the states. We acknowledge the presumption against preemption. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that, "`the historic police powers of the States were not to be superseded by the Federal Act unless that was the clear and manifest purpose of Congress.'" Puerto Rico Dep't of Consumer Affairs v. Isla Petroleum Corp., ___ U.S. ___, ___, 108 S.Ct. 1350, 99 L.Ed.2d 582, (1988), quoting Hillsborough County v. Automated Medical Laboratories, Inc., 471 U.S. 707, 715, 105 S.Ct. 2371, 2376, 85 L.Ed.2d 714 (1985).

On the other hand, although the extent of the preemption in the Act requires statutory construction, the fact of preemption is express. Not only does the Act say that no "State law" may require a different cigarette warning, it also says that one object of the Act is to prevent "diverse, nonuniform, and confusing cigarette labeling and advertising regulations," 15 U.S.C.A. sec. 1331. Our task, therefore, is to construe this specific preemptive language and to give effect to the Congressional intent there expressed. Cf. California Federal Sav. & Loan Ass'n. v. Guerra, 479 U.S. 272, ___, 107 S.Ct. 683, 697, 93 L.Ed.2d 613, 632-633 (1987) (Scalia, J., concurring). Is the term *380 "State law" in the Act intended to be limited to state statutes or state regulations? We think not.[3]

Substantial federal authority construing the preemption provisions accords with Cipollone and is persuasive on this point. See Palmer v. Liggett Group, Inc., 825 F.2d 620 (1 Cir.1987); Stephen v. American Brands, Inc., 825 F.2d 312 (11 Cir.1987); Gunsalus v. Celotex Corp., 674 F. Supp. 1149, 1159 (E.D.Pa. 1987). Much of the analysis focuses on the Congressional scheme, implying preemption because the objectives of the federal law are so clear that a contrary result would present an obstacle to their attainment, a principle of ascertaining implied preemptive congressional intent. As the Palmer court said,

It is these policies [health protection and trade protection], and more importantly, the balance fixed between them that is our focus. The language of sec.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Warner Fruehauf Trailer Co. v. Boston
654 A.2d 1272 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1995)
Smith v. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.
630 A.2d 820 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1993)
Carlisle v. Philip Morris, Inc.
805 S.W.2d 498 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Barnes v. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.
587 A.2d 667 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1991)
Dewey v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
577 A.2d 1239 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1990)
Hite v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
578 A.2d 417 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Cipollone v. Liggett Group
893 F.2d 541 (Third Circuit, 1990)
Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc.
893 F.2d 541 (Third Circuit, 1990)
Forster v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
437 N.W.2d 655 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1989)
Dewey v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.
550 A.2d 481 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
542 A.2d 919, 225 N.J. Super. 375, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dewey-v-brown-williamson-tobacco-corp-njsuperctappdiv-1988.