Texas County Settles Lawsuit Against JUUL for $20 Million

On March 22nd, Harris County in the state of Texas (hereinafter referred to as "Texas") announced that it had resolved its lawsuit with the e-cigarette company JUUL and would receive a settlement of $20 million.

According to reports, the county is the first government entity in Texas to file a lawsuit against JUUL in 2021. Harris County prosecutor Christian Menefee said that the county is accusing JUUL of marketing its electronic cigarettes to minors.

As the largest county in the state and the third largest in the country, we are very proud to be able to take a leadership role," he said.

JUUL gained notoriety for offering a variety of popular e-cigarette flavors, and the local settlement is part of a larger global settlement with JUUL. The total amount of the settlement in Texas is $42.8 million.

Menifee stated that the case was always about reducing nicotine addiction among youth in the community. "The settlement funds are intended to alleviate the impact of nicotine addiction among our young people, and we want to protect them.

In 2022, a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that nearly half of the surveyed students had used e-cigarettes for 20 days or more in the past 30 days. Admission statistics from UT Health showed that 1 in 5 children in Houston had tried using e-cigarette products.

Harris County commissioners will decide how to use funds from reconciliation.

Further reading:

JUUL has spent $18.2 billion in search of a settlement. Here's a breakdown of the amounts and conditions of settlements reached with various states.

Orange County in the United States will purchase electronic cigarette detectors following Juul's payment of a $5.4 million settlement.

References:

Harris County has reached a settlement in a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, alleging that the vaping company engaged in deceptive marketing tactics aimed at children.