Washington joins other states across the country in filing a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, the manufacturers of JUUL vape pods and e-cigarettes. The state’s attorney general alleges that JUUL Labs illegally marketed their vaping products at children, spurring a youth vaping epidemic across the state and country.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the JUUL lawsuit in a press release on September 2. The state’s lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court against JUUL Labs and its predecessor company Pax Labs, Inc.

Since 2015 JUUL marketed their e-cigarette device and vaping pods to the U.S. public, notably using social media campaigns and colorful ads featuring youthful models. Their vaping device, created to look like a USB drive, gained immense popularity for its sleek design and ability to be hidden in plain sight.

However, recent allegations claim JUUL illegally marketed their products to underage users by mimicking Big Tobacco strategies of the past. Lawsuits across the country claim JUUL under-warned users about the addictive nature of vaping JUUL products and the dangers of vaping nicotine. In fact, in September 2019 JUUL was issued a warning letter by the FDA that indicated evidence showed JUUL told under-aged users that their products were safer than cigarettes, an unproven statement.

According to the lawsuit, AG Ferguson claims JUUL Labs violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by unlawfully marketing nicotine products to children and lying about the addictiveness of their products to consumers. Additionally, AG Ferguson says that JUUL neglected to meet Washington’s tobacco vapor product licensing requirements, making every JUUL device sale in Washington from August 2016 to April 2018 unlawful.

“JUUL put profits before people,” Ferguson said. “Pushing unfair and deceptive marketing strategies appealing to youth, the company fueled a staggering rise in vaping among teens. JUUL’s conduct reversed decades of progress fighting nicotine addiction, and they must be held accountable.”

JUUL Addiction Lawsuits

Since the introduction of JUUL products to the market, e-cigarette use among teenagers has blown through the roof. In 2016, only 13 percent of Washington high school sophomores used vaping products like JUUL. However, in 2018, 21 percent of Washington high school sophomores used vaping products.

Increasing lawsuit against JUUL from teens and young adults now allege that JUUL vaping products caused their extreme nicotine addictions and injuries like seizures, strokes, and breathing difficulties. Given the similar questions of fact and law brought forth in these complaints, these JUUL lawsuits have now been centralized as part of a litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Tens of thousands of complaints are expected to be filed in the JUUL litigation in the upcoming months and years as injury lawyers continue to review and file claims from injured users. If you vaped JUUL vaping products and experienced addiction or injury, reach out to our legal team for a free, no-obligation case consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and the company’s negligence in protecting your health. Call the McGartland Law Firm today at (866) 832-9300.