OTHERWISE: Tobacco Research Center replies to ALI on industry influence.

The Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at UCSF has sharply criticized the ALI for its response to the Center’s criticism of the Institute’s conflict of interest policies.  The Center demonstrated that tobacco industry lawyers privately lobbied the Reporter William Prosser who responded by exempting “good tobacco” from the strict liability rules of the second Restatement of Torts.  The Product Liability Restatement was drafted by law professors who had been paid consultants of tobacco companies.

The Center urges the ALI to adopt as a model the conflict of interest policies employed by the National Academies of Science. See the post above for key documents and commentary. – GWC