California Sues Juul
This week California filed a lawsuit against Juul. The lawsuit is being brought by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, among other plaintiffs. The suit accuses Juul of deceptive marketing practices and knowingly selling its e-cigarettes to underage users.
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that Juul failed to give warnings about its product's chemical exposure and the risks of cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm. The Attorney General alleges that Juul continues to target underage teenagers by keeping email addresses and sending marketing materials to minors. You can review the Attorney General's Press Release here, and California v. Juul, Labs, Inc. here.
We discussed California vaping lawsuits on these pages a few weeks ago. That post includes some concerning statistics. Juul is the clear e-cigarette market leader, with 64% of the U.S. market. As of November of this year, 42 deaths have occurred throughout the country attributable to vaping and e-cigarette use, as well as over 2,100 hospitalizations with serious lung injuries. Four of those deaths have occurred in the State of California. The Centers for Disease Control advise all consumers to cease e-cigarette and vaping use.
Vaping, especially among underage users, has become an epidemic. This year alone, reports say that 5 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes. Vaping why Attorney General Becerra intends to hold Juul accountable for this serious public health crisis.
Just last week, the Centers for Disease Control announced that it believes Vitamin E Acetate is the vaping chemical responsible for causing so many lung injuries. You can read the CDC's announcement here. President Trump recently announced that his Administration will review this issue and is considering a ban on vaping and e-cigarettes.
If you or someone you know was injured as a result of vaping or e-cigarettes in California, contact an attorney as soon as possible.
The Rabbi Lawyer is ready to assist, 24/6.
