EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY IN ANTI-TOBACCO LITIGATION
Since 1997, Dr. Arnett has served as an expert witness in over 20 cases brought against the major tobacco companies, including the multi-state attorneys general case that resulted in the largest civil settlement in legal history in 1998. In these cases, a key issue has been the question of whether the tobacco companies have targeted minors in their advertising. Based on his review of confidential tobacco industry documents, his research on adolescents' responses to cigarette ads, and his understanding of development during adolescence, Dr. Arnett has testified that the tobacco companies have consistently targeted minors in their advertising over at least the past 40 years. The documents show that the companies have long realized that virtually all smokers begin as minors (usually around age 14) and that brand loyalty is strong and enduring once established. For these reasons, the companies have concluded that the key to greater profits is to be successful in attracting minors to smoke their brands. The Joe Camel campaign of 1988-1997 was perhaps the most egregious example of this strategy, but it has also been present in many other tobacco ad campaigns for brands such as Newport, Winston, Virginia Slims, and Marlboro. The tobacco companies target minors for a simple reason: That’s where the money is.
Depositions and Testimony in Tobacco Litigation
| Date | Case | Depo/Testimony |
| April 1, 1997 | State of Florida | deposition |
| May 1, 1997 | Broin | deposition |
| July 8, 1997 | Engle | deposition |
| August 25, 1997 | State of Texas | deposition |
| September 23, 1997 | State of Texas | deposition |
| April 22, 1998 | States of AZ & WA | deposition |
| June 23, 1998 | State of Oklahoma | deposition |
| September 22, 1998 | State of Oklahoma | deposition |
| October 16, 1998 | State of Massachusetts | deposition |
| November 19, 1998 | State of Washington | deposition |
| December 3, 1998 | Engle | deposition |
| December 14, 1998 | Engle | deposition |
| December 15, 1998 | Engle | deposition |
| December 30, 1998 | Ohio Unions | deposition |
| February 24, 1999 | Ohio Unions | deposition |
| December 2, 1999 | Nat'l Asbestos Workers | deposition |
| August 17, 2000 | Allen Davis | deposition |
| August 18, 2000 | Sue Ann Mann | deposition |
| November 17, 2000 | Scott | deposition |
| April 23-24, 2002 | Simms | deposition |
| December 17-18, 2002 | Brown | deposition |
| March 12-13, 2003 | Scott | testimony |
| September 2, 2003 | St. Louis | deposition |
| August 24, 2006 | Leroy Williams | deposition |
| March 1, 2007 | Jack Frost | deposition |
| August 19, 2009 | West Virginia | deposition |
| January 14-15, 2010 | Missouri Hospitals | deposition |
| January 26, 2011 | California Tobacco Litigation | deposition |
Articles on Tobacco Issues
Health Education & Behavior, 2006
The myth of peer influence in adolescent smoking initiation. Download this article (pdf).
Journal of Health Communication, 2005
Talk is cheap: The tobacco companies' violations of their own Cigarette Advertising Code. Download this article (pdf).
Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2001
Adolescents’ responses to cigarette advertisements for five “youth brands” and one “adult brand.” Download this article (pdf).
Addictive Behaviors, 2000
Optimistic bias in adolescent and adultsmokers and nonsmokers. Download this article (pdf).
Public Health Reports, 1999
Winston’s new “No Additives” campaign:Straight up? No bull?
University of Toledo Law Review, 1999
Adolescents and the proposed tobacco settlement. Download this article (pdf).
Tobacco Control, 1998
(with George Terhanian)
Adolescents' responses to cigarette advertising: Exposure, liking, and the appeal of smoking. Download this article (pdf).