Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 323 § 323.806 — Required actions by manufacturers; liability of importers

Required actions by manufacturers; liability of importers. (1) Any tobacco product manufacturer selling cigarettes to consumers within the State of Oregon (whether directly or through a distributor, retailer or similar intermediary or intermediaries) after October 23, 1999, shall do one of the following: (a) Become a Participating Manufacturer (as that term is defined in section II(jj) of the Master Settlement Agreement) and generally perform its financial obligations under the Master Settlement Agreement; or (b)(A) Satisfy the equity assessment required under ORS 323.804 and place into a qualified escrow fund by April 15 of the year following the year in question the following amounts (as such amounts are adjusted for inflation): (i) For 1999, $0.0094241 per unit sold after October 23, 1999. (ii) For 2000, $0.0104712 per unit sold. (iii) For each of the years 2001 and 2002, $0.0136125 per unit sold. (iv) For each of the years 2003 through 2006, $0.0167539 per unit sold. (v) For each of the years 2007 through 2023, $0.0188482 per unit sold. (B) A tobacco product manufacturer that places funds into escrow pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall receive the interest or other appreciation on such funds as earned. Such funds themselves shall be released from escrow only under the following circumstances: (i) To pay a judgment or settlement on any released claim brought against such tobacco product manufacturer by the State of Oregon or any releasing party located or residing in this state. Funds shall be released from escrow under this sub-subparagraph in the order in which they were placed into escrow and only to the extent and at the time necessary to make payments required under such judgment or settlement; (ii) To pay an equity assessment required under ORS 323.804; (iii) To the extent that a tobacco product manufacturer establishes that the amount it was required to place into escrow on account of units sold in Oregon in a particular year was greater than the Master Settlement Agreement payments, as determined pursuant to section IX(i) of that agreement after final determination of all adjustments, that the manufacturer would have been required to make on account of such units sold had it been a Participating Manufacturer (as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement), the excess shall be released from escrow and revert back to such tobacco product manufacturer; or (iv) To the extent not released from escrow under sub-subparagraph (i), (ii) or (iii) of this subparagraph, funds shall be released from escrow and revert back to such tobacco product manufacturer 25 years after the date on which they were placed into escrow. (C) Each tobacco product manufacturer that elects to place funds into escrow pursuant to this paragraph shall annually certify to the Attorney General that it is in compliance with this paragraph. The Attorney General may bring a civil action on behalf of the State of Oregon against any tobacco product manufacturer that fails to place into escrow the funds required under this paragraph. Any tobacco product manufacturer that fails in any year to place into escrow the funds required under this paragraph shall: (i) Be required within 15 days to place such funds into escrow as shall bring such manufacturer into compliance with this paragraph. The court, upon a finding of a violation of this paragraph, may impose a civil penalty to be paid to the General Fund of this state in an amount not to exceed five percent of the amount improperly withheld from escrow per day of the violation and in a total amount not to exceed 100 percent of the original amount improperly withheld from escrow; (ii) In the case of a knowing violation, be required within 15 days to place such funds into escrow as shall bring such manufacturer into compliance with this paragraph. The court, upon a finding of a knowing violation of this paragraph, may impose a civil penalty to be paid to the General Fund of this state in an amount not to exceed 15 percent of the amount improperly withheld from escrow per day of the violation and in a total amount not to exceed 300 percent of the original amount improperly withheld from escrow; and (iii) In the case of a second knowing violation, be prohibited from selling cigarettes to consumers within the State of Oregon (whether directly or through a distributor, retailer or similar intermediary or intermediaries) for a period not to exceed two years. Each failure to make an annual deposit required under this section shall constitute a separate violation. (2) In the case of units sold that are cigarettes manufactured outside the United States and imported into the United States by an importer: (a) Importers shall be jointly and severally liable with the tobacco product manufacturer of the cigarettes for the escrow deposits required under subsection (1)(b)(A) of this section; (b) Importers may be