Abstract

Engle v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. raises the questions of whether and how elastic mass torts can be settled in our federal system. In particular, there is a procedural and practical dilemma: state courts provide relative ease of class action certification, but with the power to provide closure. A wide variety of options for the parties are considered in light of the Amchem and Ortiz decisions with the conclusion that the demand for finality will drive "bottom-up" reform and lead to more flexibility in resolving those types of mass torts.