Canada

Buyers of light cigarettes sought class action status in a lawsuit against Imperial Tobacco Canada. The claim alleged that the tobacco company’s advertising attempted to deceive the public into thinking that “light” and “mild” cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes in violation of a consumer protection law. A Canadian court of appeal affirmed an earlier decision ruling that class action status could not be granted because the plaintiffs failed to state a cause of action. Because the plaintiffs relied on the tobacco advertising but did not purchase cigarettes directly from the tobacco company, they did not have a direct relationship with the tobacco company and, therefore, were not eligible to sue the company under the law.