Okay, this is not really a legal blog issue, but it touches on law, blogs and undercover marketing. Here's the hypothetical: a class action lawyer, say someone specializing in tobacco suits, hires a writer to start a blog called "Lung Cancer Blog." This blog purports to be a diary of a lifelong smoker who had no idea that smoking was dangerous and is now dying of lung cancer. The blog is beautifully written and a real tear jerker. It soon begins getting attention all over the blogosphere, and emails too. Emails from smokers who are now sick. The lawyer then turns around and replies to these emails.

Is this solicitation? Would it be legal in most states? Ethical?