Have you used JUUL products? Perhaps you picked up one of their fruit-flavored vape cartridges and used them. Did you develop a nicotine addiction as a result? Many people have, and that’s why there are a number of JUUL lawsuits against the company.
What Is JUUL?
JUUL Labs, Inc., commonly referred to as JUUL, is the manufacturer of electronic cigarettes—a prominent e-cigarette maker that has faced a myriad of legal challenges. The company, founded in May 2015 as a spin-off of Pax Labs and headquartered in San Francisco, specializes in producing e-cigarettes that atomize nicotine salts derived from tobacco. These salts are contained in cartridges that attach to the device, offering users a variety of flavors and styles. Notably, JUUL products, such as JUUL Simply, have been the subject of scrutiny due to their popularity among young people, leading to concerns about underage users.
In response to mounting legal issues, JUUL has agreed to certain measures, including working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address concerns about the impact of their products. The FDA has been actively involved in regulating e-cigarette products, and JUUL’s engagement with the regulatory body is a significant aspect of its response to legal challenges.
Despite legal and regulatory efforts, there have been concerns about the accessibility of JUUL products to underage users, prompting interventions by authorities. The California Attorney General, for instance, has been involved in addressing the issue, focusing on restricting the availability of these products in retail stores frequented by young people.
What are JUUL’s Products?
From the time of its launch, JUUL made a name for itself. The company advertised heavily to attract an audience of users. From the start, JUUL stated it was targeting current smokers, offering them an alternative to traditional cigarettes.
By 2018, the company had grown significantly. CNBC reported that it had been valued at $15 billion and raised $1.2 billion in investments. The company’s growth rate was incredible, with sales growing as fast as 783 percent in just 52 weeks. By June 2018, the company’s sales hit $942.6 million, and the company made up nearly 70 percent of the industry’s market share.
While JUUL was growing and building a customer base, there was a lot of public scrutiny about the product and the way it was being marketed. Two key concerns emerged. First, many people using the product did not know of the health risks associated with its use, some stating they did not know the product contained nicotine, and others suffering from lung disease said they did not know it was a risk factor when using this product.
In addition to this, politicians and others took a stand against the company’s product because of the way it was being marketed. Though JUUL states that it was marketing its products only to adult smokers, claims state the company was instead targeting teens and young adult nonsmokers as well.
How Does JUUL Work?
The American Lung Association provides key information about the use of e-cigarettes and vaping. Specifically, it states that these products, including JUUL, contain numerous harmful chemicals, including nicotine. Another ingredient, acrolein, is known to cause irreversible lung damage to patients. It also notes that no e-cigarette products have been found safe to use nor that they help anyone stop using cigarettes.
They also warn that, though JUUL products look different from other vaping products, they are still a type of e-cigarette and carry a significant risk to e-cigarette users. JUUL, known for its unique product technology and sales practices, produces battery-powered products that deliver nicotine through a liquid instead of smoking it. The liquid becomes an aerosol that is inhaled, posing risks similar to traditional cigarettes, including respiratory failure.
Also notable about these products from JUUL is that they are often available in a wide range of sugar-forward and fruity flavors, contributing to the vaping industry’s appeal, especially to younger individuals. These fun flavors make them more appealing to kids, and the products, resembling small mobile phones with cartridges that look like small USB drives, are easy to hide or may go unnoticed by parents or teachers. This deceptive appearance raises concerns about the marketing and social media platforms’ influence, potentially leading to more videos and content promoting e-cigarette use.
The agency states clearly that these products have the same amount of nicotine in the pods as a full pack of cigarettes. Despite claims and settlements, including a million-dollar settlement, the path forward in addressing the impact of flavored products and the use of e-cigarettes remains a complex challenge, involving medical records and ongoing efforts to regulate and reduce e-cigarette use.
What Are the Concerns Related to Using JUUL?
There have been a number of notable concerns related to the use of JUUL products. Here is a look at some of the most significant claims.
Claims of JUUL Marketing Lawsuit to Children
One of the most notable claims made against the company came in February 2020. At that time, an investigation was released that showed that JUUL was, in fact marketing its products to children. Specifically, the Massachusetts Attorney General, Marua Healey, provided results of an investigation (as noted by The New York Times) that indicates that, from June of 2015 (when the company launched) through early 2016, the company’s advertising was found on children-related media outlets. This includes ads on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Seventeen Magazine. Additionally, the company’s ads were found on educational sites for middle school and high school students.
The investigation was taken on as a result of many people coming forward to complain about the way these products were being marketed to children. And they did not stop there. It was also revealed that the company made the decision to reject a marketing plan designed by Cult Collective that branded the company’s product to adults. Instead, it favored a different approach called “Vaporized,” which was targeted directly at teens.
The Attorney General was blaming JUUL for the growing epidemic in the state and around the country of teen vaping. The evidence in the lawsuit the State of Massachusetts created included young models in digital ads on mobile apps and websites. It was found on social media and promoted to teens and younger children.
Lung Problems
JUUL products have also been linked, according to some people filing a lawsuit against the company, to lung disease and lung injury. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an outbreak of lung injury that was associated with the use of vaping and e-cigarette products. According to the agency, as of February 2020, there were 2,807 hospitalizations across all 50 states linked to the use of these products. In addition to this, there were 68 people who died as a result of these conditions.
The CDC stated that any product that contains nicotine or THC (which was also linked to the outbreak) should not be used by any minor and that there was a continued risk of using these products.
In addition to these claims, there have been more. That includes claims that vaping products cause breathing problems. Some people also reported that the products caused seizures.
Nicotine Addiction
Some additional claims report that many people developed an addiction to these products as a result of their use. Some people have claimed that they did not know there was a risk of addiction nor that the products they were using contained nicotine. The CDC reports that these products are not safe for use in teens or children, pregnant women, or others who are not currently using nicotine products. There is the risk of nicotine addiction occurring.
Consider Specific Lawsuit Claims
Here are a few examples of some of the lawsuits brought against the company:
- Maxwell Berger sued the company in 2019, stating that his use of the product caused him to have a massive stroke prior to the age of 20. He stated that he was injecting as much nicotine that would equate to 40 tobacco cigarettes a day.
- A teen in Florida reported suffering a seizure after using the product. The FDA reports that there is a link between these products and seizure activity, especially in younger users.
- Two college students in Alabama sued JUUL as a result of suffering lung damage from their use of the product. They did not know that the product contained nicotine, according to the details of the lawsuit.
These examples provide insight into the health complications brought on by the use of JUUL. If you suffered any of these types of symptoms or complications, reach out to Join the Many. We can help you determine if you should file a claim against the manufacturer and connect you with legal resources that will handle every aspect of your case.
FDA Claims and Actions Against JUUL
JUUL products have been the target of investigations for some time. While many states have taken legal steps against the company, the FDA is also doing so and has been doing so for several years. Take a closer look at the actions taken thus far.
In 2018, the FDA took steps to address what it called an epidemic of youth vaping. The FDA stated it was targeting 1,300 retailers as well as 5 manufacturers of these products in an effort to prevent youth from continued use of the product.
At that time, the FDA issued warning letters to all involved. It also issued civil money penalty complaints to the retailers that were allowing the sale of these products to minors. The company also demanded, at that time, that the manufacturers create a plan for how they would mitigate the sales of these products to youth within 60 days. It stated it would be aggressively enforcing strategies that targeted illegal sales to youth or kid-friendly marketing.
In July 2019, the FDA stated that the company had adulterated its products by selling them under a “modified risk tobacco product” and that it did so without the FDA’s approval. The company’s representatives who were speaking to students stated “Was much safer than cigarettes” and that the “FDA would approve it any day.” The company used terms like “99% safer” and “much safer.”
In June of 2022, the FDA took its most significant step in issuing a marketing denial order. Though it was temporarily on hold, the order required that all JUUL products be removed from the market and that they could no longer be sold. This specifically included JUUL devices and four types of JUULPods, including their Virginia tobacco-flavored pods that had a concentration of nicotine of up to 5.0 percent and its menthol-flavored pods with concentrations of up to 5 percent.
Additional warnings and restrictions were issued leading up to this, according to letters sent by the FDA.
If you used JUUL products and become ill from doing so, you may have a right to seek legal compensation for your losses.
What Are the Issues with JUUL Class Action Lawsuit You Should Know About?
JUUL products have become a source of concern, particularly for those who started using them in 2015 and onwards without fully understanding the risks involved. Despite the nationwide public health crisis and revelations about the dangers associated with putting addictive products in the hands of consumers, JUUL was often marketed as a safe alternative. Unfortunately, this led many individuals to unknowingly put themselves at risk when using these products.
If you, or someone you know, have suffered any type of loss related to your use of JUUL, there may be avenues to hold the manufacturer accountable for these losses. At Join the Many, we recognize the impact that JUUL use has had on individuals, especially considering findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey and the prevalence of JUUL users. Our team of JUUL lawyers is dedicated to working closely with those who have been impacted, providing them with tools and resources to pursue financial compensation.
In the face of addictive products and the challenges presented by JUUL litigation, our goal is to assist you in seeking justice. If you believe you have a claim, there is no risk in reaching out to us for help. We are committed to supporting individuals affected by JUUL use and advocating for their rights in the pursuit of a fair resolution. Additionally, the involvement of entities such as the New York Attorney General in addressing the impact of addictive products further underscores the urgency and importance of holding responsible parties accountable.
You may have a lawsuit against JUUL if you have:
- Suffered lung damage from the use of JUUL products
- Suffered seizures as a result of using JUUL products
- Developed an addiction to nicotine from your use of JUUL products (if you did not use nicotine products prior)
- Began using these products as a teen or younger and did not know they did not contain nicotine in them
If these or other factors apply in your case, you may be able to show that any financial losses you have, such as from medical bills, may be the responsibility of JUUL to pay.
JUUL Lawsuit Settlement
Join the Many is working to help people impacted by JUUL products. If we find that you have enough evidence to move your case forward, we will connect you with a law firm that has extensive experiences in cases like these. You’ll pay no legal fees unless you win compensation.