Posted on 09/07/22
| News Source: WSJ
Juul Labs Inc. agreed to pay at least $438.5 million in a settlement with more than 30 states, the latest step by the beleaguered e-cigarette maker to resolve allegations that it marketed its products to underage users.
Under the deal, which includes 33 states and Puerto Rico, Juul is barred from depicting people under 35 in its marketing, product placements in film and television, advertising on billboards and social media, selling Juul-branded merchandise and funding education programs in schools, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a news conference Tuesday.
“They relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth,” said Mr. Tong, a Democrat. He cited the toll that underage vaping has taken on families.
Juul denied wrongdoing and said it voluntarily had stopped the marketing and sales practices that the agreement bars it from using. The agreement follows an investigation begun in 2020 by 39 states.
Since last year, Juul has agreed to pay a total of $87 million in settlements with four other states that brought lawsuits against the company, including Louisiana, Arizona, North Carolina and Washington state. Thousands of other lawsuits against Juul are pending, including cases brought by nine other attorneys general.