Juul Inks $40M Deal to End Youth Vaping Lawsuit

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The Attorney General of North Carolina Josh Stein announced Monday that Juul had agreed to pay $40 million to end a lawsuit by that state accusing the company of targeting youth in its e-cigarette ads.  

In addition to the $40 million payout, the Juul North Carolina class action lawsuit settlement will require the company to change the way it advertises its products, said the statement announcing the deal. Juul will no longer be able to use social media or influencer advertising, sponsor events, or conduct any marketing that appeals to consumers under the age of 21, according to the announcement.  

Juul is specifically enjoined from claiming that e-cigarettes are healthier than traditional tobacco products as well.  

In addition, Juul will need to fund and comply with various measures to ensure its e-cigarettes are not making their way into the hands of teens and children, including a secret shopper program to keep retailers in check.  

Further, the company is not permitted to sell new flavors of Juul pods or adjust nicotine contents levels without authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“This win will go a long way in keeping JUUL products out of kids’ hands, keeping its chemical vapor out of their lungs, and keeping its nicotine from poisoning and addicting their brains,” said Stein.  

“This settlement is consistent with our ongoing effort to reset our company and its relationship with our stakeholders, as we continue to combat underage usage and advance the opportunity for harm reduction for adult smokers,” Joshua Raffel, a company spokesman, reportedly said of the deal.  

The e-cigarette company narrowly avoided a jury trial with the $40 million settlement, reports The New York Times, but faces regulatory action and litigation across the country over its allegedly addictive pods.  

Critics say that the company breathed new life into “smoking” by creating and marketing Juul e-cigarettes that look nearly identical to USB drives. The e-cigs plug into the USB port of a computer to charge. When plugged in, the Juul device is hard to distinguish from a USB drive. 

Starting in 2018, North Carolina, along with thirteen other states and thousands of other plaintiffs, filed various types of legal actions, including class action lawsuits, against Juul alleging that the company was a driving force in getting America’s youth hooked back on nicotine after decades of fighting big tobacco.  

Dozens of class action lawsuits were filed against Juul claiming the company targeted youth and even children in slick marketing campaigns that allegedly falsely advertised the vaping products as less addictive and dangerous than traditional cigarettes. The claims were consolidated into California federal court in 2019. 

The company also faces consolidated litigation filed by school districts. The class action lawsuit is seeking damages to account for the “vaping epidemic” on school campuses around the country. 

In addition, federal lawmakers have been investigating Juul’s marketing tactics for more than a year now.  

Do you think Juul targeted youth with its e-cigarette ads? Tell us about it in the comment section below! 

The North Carolina Juul Marketing Lawsuit is State of North Carolina, et al. v. Juul Labs, Inc., Case No. 19-CVS-2885 in the State of North Carolina Durham County.  

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Do You Qualify: E-Cigarette JUUL Side Effects: Heart & Lung Lawsuit Investigation
• Study Finds Young People Don’t Know JUUL E-Cigarettes Contain Addictive Nicotine
• Juul MDL Update: Class Actions Alleging Vapes Marketed to Youth Survive Dismissal
• Juul Advertising and the Youth Vaping Epidemic