In Re Certified Question From US District Court

The Michigan Attorney General brought suit against numerous tobacco companies, alleging claims for damages incurred in providing health care services to smokers. This suit resulted in a master settlement agreement (MSA), in which the state released its claims and its subdivisions’ claims, in exchange for injunctive and monetary relief. Two years later, Wayne County filed suit against the same tobacco companies, also alleging claims for damages incurred in providing health care services to smokers. Defendants filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that the county’s claims had…