Betty D. Pennington v. Vistron Corporation, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Inc., and American Tobacco Company

JERRE S. WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge:

Betty Pennington appeals a summary judgment in favor of the manufacturers of the cigarettes that her deceased husband had smoked for many years. In a products liability suit governed by Louisiana law, Mrs. Pennington contended that her husband contracted cancer of the esophagus as a result of his exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace, either alone or in conjunction with his consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.

We hold that the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act preempts some, but not all, of Mrs. Pennington’s claims against the cigarette…