The Center for Public Health Litigation is a project of the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), a non-profit advocacy organization formed in 1979. PHAI formed The Center for Public Health Litigation in July 2014, and has begun growing its staff. The Center employs a Director and Staff Attorney and shares other attorneys and administrative support with the Public Health Advocacy Institute to develop and pursue high impact public health litigation. The Center’s current focus is in several areas:
- Tobacco Litigation
- False Claims about the Healthiness of Marketing Unhealthy Foods
- Misleading Claims about Dietary Supplements
- Deceptive Indoor Tanning Ads Practices
- Challenges to Claims about the Safety of E-Cigarettes
From the Boston Globe:
Richard A. Daynard, J.D., Ph.D. President
“The stories recounted in two recent lawsuits might sound familiar: smokers lured to cigarettes as teens, hooked as adults, stricken with cancer in middle age.”
“The arguments have been heard before, too: Tobacco companies sold a product they knew was harmful and addictive, and they should be held accountable.”
“But there’s an intriguing twist to the suits filed in Middlesex Superior Court last month. They are the product of a new Boston group that seeks to promote public health through the courts. And these lawyers are working on several fronts, not just tobacco.”
“The suits were filed by the Center for Public Health Litigation , a small endeavor started last year by thePublic Health Advocacy Institute , a nonprofit research group based at the Northeastern University School of Law. …”