Juul Labs, maker of the popular e-cigarette product is the target of over 700 lawsuits in the federal court system, claiming that the manufacturer’s marketing was intentionally targeted toward teens in order to addict them to nicotine. Among the plaintiffs in these actions are school districts and other entities from across the country who have incurred damages from the nationwide vaping trend, which has gained huge popularity among non-smokers particularly among teens. Also represented amongst the plaintiffs are individuals who have become addicted to nicotine and who have suffered injury or other damages from the use of the company’s products.
Plaintiff’s lawsuits consolidated
Due to the similarity of many of the claims, the 700+ JUUL cases have been consolidated into a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) where cases are heard as a group for pre-trial discovery and motions, but which settle as individual cases based on the merits of the case at hand. This MDL is being heard in the U.S. District Court of Northern California and presided over by judge William H. Orrick III. It is expected that several thousand cases will be filed against JUUL Labs over the next several years.
Hundreds of additional claims also have been filed in state and local courts throughout the country and a claim has been filed by 11 state attorneys general from Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC.
All of these cases present a similar narrative, that JUUL Labs engaged in an intentional scheme to target teens, young adults, and non-smokers with their highly addictive vaping products while suppressing information about the excessive levels of nicotine in their products and the dangers of nicotine addiction.
The cases claim that the JUUL device is shaped like a USB drive and is easy to conceal from parents and other authority figures. Furthermore, that fruity and trendy flavors of the JUUL vape pods appealed to young people who may or may not have been smokers already, and that JUUL marketed their product as being healthier than cigarettes, among many other charges.
Lawsuit by former executive of the company
As if the groundswell of plaintiffs’ cases isn’t enough, JUUL was hit by a new lawsuit in October 2019, by JUUL’s former senior vice president of global finance, Siddharth Breja, whose lawsuit alleges that JUUL Labs knowingly sold over a million contaminated mint flavored nicotine pods, and further claims that he was wrongfully terminated when he raised concerns internally over the sale.
With this first Whistleblower lawsuit showing that former employees are willing to testify against the company, JUUL Labs will be laying off 500 employees in 2020. It is expected that many of the former employees may provide more information to regulators and state attorneys general regarding wrongdoing within the company.
The Richard Harris Law Firm will sue JUUL Labs on your behalf
With market share within the vaping space largely controlled by JUUL Labs, you would expect a large proportion of the vaping liability cases to be directed at JUUL. Lawyers across the country are fielding requests from potential clients against vaping companies, and JUUL Labs in particular, for injury from defective devices, and for an alleged deceptive marketing campaign designed to attract users from middle schools and high schools and addict them to nicotine. If you have suffered injury, such as lung or respiratory distress after vaping a JUUL product, if the device itself has overheated and burned you, or are suffering from addiction to nicotine products after use of a JUUL product, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Call the lawyers of The Richard Harris Law Firm today at (702) 444-4444.
Learn More:
https://time.com/5713970/juul-lawsuits-regulations-bans/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/e-cigarette-giant-juul-accused-of-marketing-to-teens-in-new-lawsuit/
