La Republicana S.A. v. State - Executive Branch
La Republicana S.A. v. State - Executive Branch - AMPARO, IUE 2-29205/2019, the Court of First Instance [Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo] (2019).
- Uruguay
- Jul 24, 2019
- Court of First Instance
La Republicana S.A. v. State - Executive Branch - AMPARO, IUE 2-29205/2019, the Court of First Instance [Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo] (2019).
Compañía Industrial de Tabacos Montepaz S.A. and La Republicana S.A. challenged Decree No. 120/2019, issued by the executive branch, that requires plain packaging of tobacco products. The Court rejected the challenge and found that the decree is not clearly illegitimate, and therefore, the plaintiffs did not meet the required standard. The Court further held that Congress was the appropriate institution to approve plain packaging and impose restrictions on the tobacco industry (done via Law No. 19.723), and therefore, the executive branch did not exceed its authority when it issued Decree No. 120/2019. Additionally, the Court found that even though the implementation timeline might be strict (one year), the industry had prior knowledge given that there was a previous decree and a pending bill in Congress.