Products Liability Law Reporter

The state of Illinois, along with six other states, sued JUUL Labs, Inc., claiming that the company marketed and sold its products to youth, thus contributing to the youth vaping epidemic. In the Illinois suit, the state claimed that JUUL violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, 815 Ill. Comp. Stat. §505/1-1 et seq. Suit also alleged that the company intentionally targeted minors for the sale of its e-cigarettes.

The parties reached a $462 million settlement, $67.6 million of which will go to Illinois. Under the settlement agreement, JUUL is prohibited from targeting Illinois youth in the promotion of its products, using social media influencers to promote its products, and using billboards in Illinois. Additionally, JUUL must maintain a retailer compliance program that includes specific requirements, checks, and consequences for compliance failures. The company also must contribute $5 million for the cost of a public document repository holding documents produced by JUUL and others.

Citation: People v. JUUL Labs, Inc., No. 2019CH14302 (Ill. Cir. Ct. Cook Cnty. Apr. 12, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: Kwame Raoul, Greg Grzeskiewicz, and Susan Ellis, all of Chicago.