RJR RJ Reynolds Tob Hlds

Supreme Court of Illinois Justice Orders Emergency Stay in Turner Case WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On Oct. 24, a justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois granted an emergency stay of all proceedings in the Turner case, a "lights" cigarette class-action against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJRT), pending in Madison County, Ill. As a result of this decision, the Supreme Court will now review and rule on RJRT's request that it halt all proceedings and assume jurisdiction of the Turner case pending the Court's final appeal decision in the Miles/Price case, a similar class-action against Philip Morris Incorporated, (Philip Morris U.S.A.). Daniel W. Donahue, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for RJRT, said, "This means that the Turner case will not be tried until the full panel of judges on the Illinois Supreme Court rule on our request that jurisdiction of this case be moved to their court." On Oct. 20, the Illinois trial judge presiding over the class-action case reversed his own earlier ruling and ordered that the trial of the Turner case be stayed for 90 days from Oct. 20. The trial had been scheduled to begin Oct. 28. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJRT) is a wholly owned subsidiary of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RJR). R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States, manufacturing about one of every four cigarettes sold in the United States. Reynolds Tobacco's product line includes four of the nation's 10 best-selling cigarette brands: Camel, Winston, Salem and Doral. For more information about RJRT, visit the company's web site at http://www.rjrt.com/. DATASOURCE: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company CONTACT: Ellen Matthews of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, +1-336-741-6694 Web site: http://www.rjrt.com/

Copyright