Juul settles teen vaping cases with six states and D.C. for $462 million

Embattled vaping company Juul settled youth vaping suits with New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia on Wednesday for $462 million.

Using flavors like mango, menthol and creme brûlée, Juul dominated the electronic cigarette market in the U.S. Officials across America contended, however, that the flavors along with marketing claiming that vaping was safer than smoking posed a risk to American youth.

California will receive $175.8 million, the largest payout any state has gotten in a Juul settlement. New York nets $112.7 million, Illinois is due $67.6 million, Massachusetts gets $41.7 million, Colorado collects $31.7 million, New Mexico will receive $17 million, and D.C. is due $15.2 million.

“Juul preyed on children for profit, implementing an intentionally deceptive, manipulative marketing campaign targeting underage users with the intention of creating addicted customers. Juul knew how addictive and dangerous its products were and actively tried to cover up that medical truth,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement.

“After inappropriately marketing its product as a smoking cessation device, Juul products actually served as a gateway to cigarette use for youth who had never smoked before,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wrote.

Keeping in line with its settlements with other jurisdictions, Wednesday’s consent order bars Juul from directly or indirectly marketing its product to anyone under 35, and is required to limit the online and in-store purchases of its customers.

“This settlement with seven state attorneys general represents another critical part in our ongoing commitment to resolve issues from the company’s past. … With this settlement, we are nearing total resolution of the company’s historical legal challenges and securing certainty for our future,” Juul said in a statement Wednesday.

After being warned by the Food and Drug Administration over its marketing in 2019, Juul launched a company-wide reset and began a string of settlements with state and local governments.

Since 2019, Juul use by underage users has dropped by 95%, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Juul agreed to pay West Virginia $7.9 million to settle that state’s suit alleging deceptive advertising to teens on Monday. In September 2022, the company reached a $438.5 million deal with 33 states and Puerto Rico.

After the Wednesday settlement, Juul will have agreed to pay over $1 billion to 47 U.S. states and territories. The vaping company, which has laid off hundreds, still has extant litigation with Alaska, Florida, Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota, according to the Daily Mail.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took Juul to trial on March 28. Juul “baited, deceived and addicted a whole new generation of kids after Minnesotans slashed youth smoking rates down to the lowest level in a generation,” Mr. Ellison said in a statement.

Tobacco company Altria, which owns 35% of Juul, is also a defendant in the Minnesota case.