United States

Several states objected to being certified by the court as part of a settlement class for purposes of dispensing with smoking-related claims. The states argued that the federal court lacked jurisdiction to settle their claims because the Immunity Provision of the Eleventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibited federal court jurisdiction over the states or their agencies without their consent. The Court found that no evidence had been presented indicating the plaintiffs' consent to participate in the class and consequently ordered the states and their agencies stricken from the settlement class.