In 2023, a settlement was reached with Juul and Altria for approximately 4,500 personal injury actions and approximately 1,500 government entity actions, including approximately 1,400 school district cases.
The settlements secured over $60million for BMBF clients and have enabled schools to implement comprehensive educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of vaping.
Through intentional health and education curricula, schools are integrating evidence-based programs to educate students about the risks associated with vaping, empowering them to make informed decisions about their health.
Juul Labs, Inc. is an electronic cigarette company known for its Juul e-cigarette, which packages nicotine salts from leaf tobacco into one-time use cartridges.
This type of smoking, or vaping, has been falsely marketed as a safe alternative to traditional tobacco products. Juul was a pioneer in the vape industry, to the point that the term “juuling” is synonymous with using e-cigarettes.
However, Juul products are far from safe. They have much higher concentrations of nicotine than traditional tobacco products and are thus even more addictive.
Juul’s marketing tactics are aimed at young consumers with colorful packaging and fruity flavors, resulting in what the U.S. Surgeon General has declared an “e-cigarette epidemic among youth.”
Not only is using a Juul more addictive than traditional tobacco products, it has been linked to breathing and lung problems, seizures, serious lung injuries and diseases, hemorrhagic strokes, and death.
Because Juul targets young consumers, school districts across the country have had to address the issue of rampant in-school vaping. Instead of putting their limited money towards valuable educational tools, school boards have had to take on expenses related to vaping prevention, from personnel costs to the installation of vaping detectors in restrooms.
Schools and school districts deserve advocates who can help them recover the costs incurred, and that will be incurred, due to the vaping epidemic that Juul has profited from.
BMBF represents nearly 60 school boards – including Chicago Public Schools, Wake County Public School System, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Prince William County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Horry County Public Schools in multidistrict litigation against JUUL Labs, Inc. and other co-defendants.
This was part of an effort that resulted in a national settlement in excess of $1 billion that was announced in January 2023. As a result of BMBF’s efforts, these school boards will be receiving significant compensation to address the vaping epidemic in their districts.
