People Ex Rel. Lockyer v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

Defendant RJ. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Reynolds) appeals a judgment in favor of plaintiff the People of the State of California on the People’s complaint for an enforcement order of a consent decree (Consent Decree) entered on a master settlement agreement (MSA). Reynolds contends the court erred by (1) concluding Reynolds violated an MSA provision incorporated into the Consent Decree prohibiting Reynolds from targeting youth in its print advertising of tobacco products, (2) issuing an impermissibly vague injunction, and (3) imposing $20 million in sanctions on Reynolds. We reverse the imposition of sanctions and otherwise affirm the judgment.

I

INTRODUCTION

We state the facts and reasonable inferences drawn from the evidence most favorably to the People as the party prevailing at trial. (Hasson v. Ford Motor Co. (1977) 19 Cal.3d 530, 544 [ 138 Cal.Rptr. 705 , 564 P.2d 857 ], disapproved on another point in Soule v. General Motors Corp. (1994) 8 Cal.4th 548, 581 [ 34 Cal.Rptr.2d 607 , 882 P.2d 298 ]; Foreman & Clark Corp. v. Fallon (1971) 3 Cal.3d 875, 881 [ 92 Cal.Rptr. 162 , 479 P.2d 362 ]; Shapiro v. San Diego City Council (2002) 96 Cal.App.4th 904, 912 [ 117…