Founder and Managing Partner
Juul Labs Inc., which makes most of the e-cigarettes in the United States, is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits around the country. Originally, makers of e-cigs touted the devices as safer than traditional cigarettes, but there have been health and safety issues with this product.
If you or your underage child suffered side effects from vaping, a California Juul liability attorney can evaluate whether you might be eligible for money damages from the manufacturer. Here is an update on nationwide lawsuits against JUUL:
One of the most significant claims is that Juul targeted its marketing to minors. Other allegations in these lawsuits include:
- The marketing was deceptive, in that it portrays e-cigs as products that are not dangerous.
- Vaping is now an epidemic among American youth.
- The vape fluids contain high levels of nicotine, that some users claim they did not know.
- Vapers became addicted to nicotine through Juul products.
- Juul sold fruit-flavored vaping fluids to minors and young adults, tricking them into assuming that the products were not as dangerous as ordinary tobacco cigarettes.
- Users of Juul e-cigs developed lung injuries and diseases, including bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP).
- People who used Juul products suffered seizures and bleeding in the brain or hemorrhagic strokes.
- E-cigs worsened existing medical conditions for some users.
A San Francisco federal court has a mass litigation case that combined over 300 plaintiffs around America filed against Juul. Additional issues that the court will address include claims that Juul’s products are unreasonably dangerous and defective. Also, plaintiffs say that the nicotine in Juul vaping fluids is stronger and more addictive than traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Juul
One of the surprising things about the health consequences of e-cigs is that they can develop much more quickly than with “old school” tobacco cigarettes. Some people rationalize their use of tobacco cigarettes by saying that it will take 30 or 40 years to get lung cancer with traditional smoking. Vaping, on the other hand, can cause severe nicotine addiction and lethal medical conditions within as little as a few months or a year.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in October of 2019 in California alleges that Juul caused a minor, who started vaping at the age of 15, to die when he was 18 years old. The teen began having breathing problems and lung issues within a year of starting to vape. His condition was so severe that he had to stay in the hospital for several days. The teenager eventually died in his sleep in 2019.
Tainted Juul Vape Pods
A former high-level executive at Juul filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against Juul in 2019. He alleges that he warned the company about more than 1 million Juul pods that got contaminated, but instead of issuing a recall of those products to protect consumers from harm, Juul fired the former senior vice president. The terminated employee also says that Juul sold pods after their expiration date. Juul denies the allegations.
EVALI
In 2019, medical experts identified a unique type of damage to the lungs from vaping. E-cigarette (or vaping) product use associated lung injury, also called EVALI, suddenly appeared among JUUL users around the same time that the allegedly tainted JUUL pods hit the market. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that, as of February of 2020, nearly 3,000 people have had to go to the hospital because of EVALI. In response to this outbreak, some cities and states banned the sale of vaping products.
Problems from vaping can strike suddenly. Contact us today. Our California Juul Liability attorneys can help you go after compensation if you got harmed by e-cigarettes or vaping pods.