Juul Lawsuits: Everything You Need to Know

Juuls have been popular for a short period of time, yet their instant popularity as the “safer” smoking alternative caused a skyrocket in sales, hitting over $1 billion in revenue in 2018.

But despite their popularity, Juul is currently in hot water. Here is everything you need to know about controversy surrounding Juul, Juul lawsuits, and what’s on the horizon in e-cigarette health.

Juul’s Trouble with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Juul was recently slapped with warning letter by U.S. regulators, saying the company violated the law by “promoting its products as safer than traditional cigarettes.” The FDA ordered Juul to respond with corrective actions and its plan to comply with federal law and noted that failure to comply could result in fines, seizures or injunction; they had 15 days to comply.

A company can’t make such a claim unless they receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What prompted the delivery of the letter was the current probe due to the outbreak of deadly lung illnesses linked to vaping products.

Product Liability and Class Action Lawsuits Against Juul

For similar reasons prompting the investigation with the FDA, multiple defective product and class action lawsuits have been filed against Juul. Some plaintiffs claim they became addicted to Juul as they were deceived by false advertisements. Other plaintiffs claim they suffered serious complications after using the Juul product, such as seizures or strokes.

Some plaintiffs claim Juul’s products are defectively designed because they are inherently dangerous. According to defective product attorneys at Duncan Law Group:

All companies have a responsibility to ensure that their products are safe to use and that customers receive adequate warnings for foreseeable risks. Unfortunately, not all entities uphold this standard.

With the rate of injuries and deaths linked to e-cigarette and vaping continuing to rise, it’s safe to say so will the rate of lawsuits against Juul.

Former JUUL Employee’s Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

Recently, a former senior executive at Juul Labs, Siddharth Breja, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employees, claiming he was terminated after opposing company practices, including the shipment of the contaminated pods and not listing expiration dates on Juul products. 

Breja claims the management at Juul “displayed an open disregard for public health, the health of JUUL’s customers, and the rule of law generally.” Breja advised expiration dates be labeled on pods and the company issue a warning about contaminated mint flavored pods, to which he claims he was met with the following comment: “Half our customers are drunk and vaping like mo-fo’s, who the f— is going to notice the quality of our pods,”” by Juul CEO Kevin Burns. 

Burns was replaced two months ago.

Investigation into Juul’s Marketing Tactics Towards the Youth

Multiple state and federal investigations are pending, examining the company’s direct marketing to teenagers. The FDA is said to have conducted a surprise visit to the Juul headquarters in San Francisco, collecting marketing documents.

Claims include Juul used influencers to promote their product to minors, making the product more appealing to teens. The data agrees: federal data shows vaping among teens jumped 78% from 2017 to 2018.

In response to the public condemnation of flavors that many are “appealing” to teens, Juul has halted advertising and suspended sales of its dessert and fruit flavored pods. The company now only sells the following flavor pods: tobacco, menthol, and mint.

How Many People Have Died from using Juul?

Currently, there is no exact number of how many injured or deceased people were harmed using a Juul product. As of November 5, 2019, 2,051 cases of e-cig and/or vaping product use associated with lung injury (EVALI), have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 49 states (not including Alaska), D.C. and 1 U.S. territory. 

There have been 39 deaths due to e-cigarette and vaping product use. The median age of deceased persons was 53 years and ranged from as young as 17 and as old as 75. Illinois has the highest number of lung injury cases, in the range of 150 to 199 cases.

It has not been determined what exactly is causing the injury and deaths as the only commonality among patients is vaping or e-cigarette usage.

Juul’s Future

Given the myriad of JUUL lawsuits and controversies, it’s safe to say Juul’s future is in peculiar predicament. Only time will tell if they will accept liability for their many lawsuits and if they will continue to comply with federal and state agencies.