Magistrate Judge Appointed in Star Scientific Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against RJ Reynolds

Star Scientific, Inc. CIGX received an Order today from the US District Court for Maryland that refers the company's patent infringement litigation against RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) to the Honorable Beth P. Gesner, US Magistrate Judge, for possible settlement. The Order of Reference was signed by Judge Marvin J. Garbis, who has overseen the litigation since August, 2004. Paul L. Perito, Esq., Star Scientific Chairman and President, commented, "We are pleased that after ten years of hard-fought litigation -- where both sides seldom agreed on issues -- the Court's decision to refer the litigation to a Magistrate Judge for settlement purposes was agreed to by the parties. We believe this augurs well for good faith negotiations by the parties that hopefully can lead to a mutually acceptable global resolution." Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, including the continued development and market acceptance of our nutraceutical and low-TSNA tobacco products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, including with respect to our nutraceutical and low-TSNA tobacco products, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.