E-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs announced Tuesday it has reached settlements covering more than 5,000 cases with nearly 10,000 plaintiffs. The sweeping resolutions, which litigators say will address youth e-cigarette usage, come after more than three years of legal battles, the Washington Post reported. The settlements include compensation for those suffering from nicotine addiction and other health problems, as well as reimbursement for those who purchased Juul products. School districts, cities, counties and Native American tribes will also receive resources to fight nicotine addiction among youths. Juul did not disclose the settlement amount. Sarah R. London, co-lead counsel for plaintiffs in the federal multidistrict litigation, expressed hope for the potential impact of the resolutions. “These settlements will put meaningful compensation in [the] hands of victims and their families, get real funds to schools for abatement programs, and help government and tribal entities prevent youth use of e-cigarettes across the U.S.,” she said in a written statement. But Robert Jackler, a Stanford medical school professor who researches the impact of tobacco advertising and served as an expert witness in the proceedings, was less optimistic. “Time and again tobacco companies absorb sizable legal settlements as a cost of doing business, only [to] re-emerge as highly profitable purveyors [of] nicotine products which they market to youth,” he said in an email. If Juul survives the financial and reputational blow, “it will escape full accountability for its reprehensive corporate behavior,” he said. The settlement is the latest development in a spate of legal feuds and public controversies afflicting the once-thriving e-cigarette company.
