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Jones Day Obtains Victory in Robare Case
Law Firm News |
2007/04/19 15:26
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In Robare, the New York Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed the trial court's order granting defendants' motions for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that all causes of action against the defendant cigarette manufacturers, including Firm client R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, were barred by the applicable statute of limitations. The issue on appeal was whether equitable estoppel prevented defendants from asserting the statute of limitations defense. Absent such estoppel, the plaintiff's claims were clearly time barred.
Plaintiff initiated his action against defendants in August of 1997, well beyond the three-year statute of limitations. He argued that defendants should be equitably estopped from asserting the statute of limitations defense based on various news items he either read or saw regarding the defendants' statements about smoking. The court held that the doctrine of equitable estoppel was inapplicable because plaintiff had timely awareness of all appropriate facts to permit him to make further inquiry before the limitations period expired, and because he either could not have reasonably relied on the news items he claimed to have seen in light of his admitted knowledge of the health risks of smoking, or that news constituted nothing more than mere denials of wrongdoing insufficient to create an estoppel. The court also found that there was no special relationship between plaintiff and defendants that would create a fiduciary relationship obligating defendants to inform plaintiff of the facts underlying his claim. Accordingly, the dismissal of plaintiff's action was unanimously affirmed.
Reynolds was represented by Harold Gordon and Daniel Russo in the New York office. |
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Class action or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued. This form of collective lawsuit originated in the United States and is still predominantly a U.S. phenomenon, at least the U.S. variant of it. In the United States federal courts, class actions are governed by Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule. Since 1938, many states have adopted rules similar to the FRCP. However, some states like California have civil procedure systems which deviate significantly from the federal rules; the California Codes provide for four separate types of class actions. As a result, there are two separate treatises devoted solely to the complex topic of California class actions. Some states, such as Virginia, do not provide for any class actions, while others, such as New York, limit the types of claims that may be brought as class actions. They can construct your law firm a brand new website, lawyer website templates and help you redesign your existing law firm site to secure your place in the internet. |
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