JUUL has been hit with over 900 lawsuits, including individual personal injury lawsuits, class actions, and a wrongful death lawsuit after teenage vaping reached epidemic levels in the U.S.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting JUUL induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with a lung injury or died after using e-cigarettes, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: JUUL Agrees to Pay $1.2 Billion in Youth-Vaping Settlement
In December 2022, Juul Labs agreed to pay a $1.2 billion settlement to resolve about 10,000 lawsuits accusing the company of causing an epidemic of youth vaping in the U.S., according to Bloomberg. The settlement would resolve lawsuits involving personal injuries and school district claims, wrapping up a 4-year-long litigation.
All of the lawsuits claim that teenagers and young adults became addicted to nicotine or suffered other health problems as a result of JUUL, which critics say was aggressively marketed to minors and non-smokers.
Master Complaint Filed in JUUL Lawsuit MDL
In March 2020, lawyers for over 300 school districts, teenagers, and parents filed a consolidated injury lawsuit (PDF) to outline allegations against JUUL Labs Inc., cigarette companies like Altria and Philip Morris USA, e-liquid manufacturers, and stores like Walmart, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Circle K.
List of Injuries Linked to JUUL
- Lung injury (short-term and long-term)
- Seizures
- Cancer
- Nicotine addiction
- Cardiovascular & neurological injuries
- And more
JUUL Lawsuits Consolidated in MDL
Due to the large number of JUUL lawsuits, federal judges centralized the cases in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2913) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: In re: Juul Labs, Inc. Marketing, Sales Practices & Products Liability Litigation.
What Do JUUL Lawsuits Allege?
Lawsuits accuse Juul Labs Inc. of marketing JUUL to teenagers, failing to warn that JUUL is more powerful and addictive than cigarettes, and that JUUL is unreasonably dangerous due to its attractiveness to minors, and also that it leads to nicotine addiction.
Is JUUL Safe? Investigators Find 2,600 Health Complaints in 3 Years
In January 2020, Juul Labs reported around 2,600 health complaints related to its e-cigarette during its first 3 years in operation. The complaints included burning sensations in the lungs, blistered lips, vomiting, and a woman who said her throat started bleeding, according to the FDA.
What is JUUL?
JUUL is a vape that is roughly the size of a USB flash drive. It also looks exactly like a USB thumb drive, which helped make it extremely popular among teenagers who were able to hide their JUUL from parents and teachers.
JUUL Skyrocketed in Popularity – Especially Among Teenagers
It hit the market in June 2015 and grew rapidly in popularity, particularly among teenagers who quickly became addicted to high-nicotine cartridges that came in sweet fruity-flavors, as well as being able to easily hide their JUUL from adults because it looked like a USB drive.
By 2019, JUUL products made up two-thirds of the e-cigarette market in the U.S., primarily through the sale of its powerful 5% nicotine cartridges and sweet-flavored products that are particularly appealing to teenagers.
What is the Problem?
A growing number of lawsuits claim that Juul e-cigarettes are extremely addictive and dangerous, especially for young people. Even so, lawyers claim that Juul is designed and advertised to entice teenagers and spawn a new generation of nicotine-addicted kids.
First Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against JUUL
In October 2019, a grieving mother filed the first wrongful death lawsuit (PDF) against Juul Labs after her 18 year-old son died in his sleep after suffering from breathing complications.
She blames his death on lung problems that were “directly caused by his addiction to Juul e-cigarettes,” according to the complaint. He became “intensely addicted” to Juul when he was just 15 years old and had to be hospitalized three times for lung problems.
She also claims that he suffered from intense mood swings and would become enraged when he did not have access to his Juul e-cigarette.
The lawsuit was filed on October 15, 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — In RE: Vail. v. Juul Labs, Inc. — Case No. 3:19-cv-06597.
FDA Slams JUUL for Advertising Vapes to Kids in Schools
In a September 2019 warning letter, the FDA slammed Juul Labs for falsely advertising vapes as “totally safe” and “99% safer than cigarettes.” Furthermore, a concerned mother reported that Juul representatives promoted their vapes to her kids in school without teachers in the room or parental consent.
Do I have a JUUL Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting JUUL induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with a lung injury or died after using e-cigarettes, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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