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CRA Seeks State Court Intervention Over California’s “Unflavored Tobacco List” Deadline
Los Angeles, California (October 9, 2025) - Today, Cigar Rights of America, along with Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc., Oliva Cigar Co., Piloto Cigars, Inc. d/b/a Padrón Cigars, Inc., A. Fuente & Co., LLC, Ashton Distributors, Inc., Premium Imports, Inc. d/b/a La Flor Dominicana, My Father Cigars, and the Premium Cigar Association filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the enforcement and implementation of California’s Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL).
We contend that California has arbitrarily and capriciously violated the California Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by abusing their emergency rulemaking authority. That process was the basis for bypassing procedural safeguards designed to ensure transparency, public participation, and sound policymaking. As a result, the state has created a regulatory scheme that imposes disproportionate and extraordinary burdens on premium cigar manufacturers.
Additionally, today’s filing is in response to U.S. District Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani’s denial yesterday of a TRO against the same regulatory scheme and compliance deadline. The court denied that request on jurisdictional grounds and, notably, did not rule on the merits of the case.
Although today’s filing was made in a separate venue, CRA and its co-plaintiffs continue to actively pursue their federal claims that are part of their primary lawsuit challenging the legality of California’s UTL and its implementing regulations as applied to premium cigars. That case remains ongoing and seeks broader relief to address the significant compliance burdens and marketplace disruptions these rules impose on the premium cigar industry.
CRA will provide an update once the Superior Court issues a ruling on our request.
Cigar Rights of America is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of the premium cigar community and advocating for balanced, common-sense regulation. CRA represents cigar manufacturers, retailers, and consumers across the United States.
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