By Emma Wu
The vaping company, Juul, has reached settlements estimated to total over 1 billion dollars for over 5,000 lawsuits over its vaping products. In the California federal court, Juul reached a settlement covering lawsuits brought by about 10,000 plaintiffs related to its vaping products. It has settled with 37 states and territories in the last year and is still in talks to resolve remaining litigation.
The e-cigarette company has faced thousands of lawsuits from families, schools, and businesses addressing its advertisement and production of harmful products. E-cigarettes are a growing issue in the new generation, with hundreds of thousands of teenagers addicted to them and other nicotine or tobacco-based products. The company offers vapes as alternatives to smoking, releasing several flavors and advertising campaigns for its product. There is large blame on the company from parents, school supervisors, and politicians for the surge in underage vaping. Many teens grew addicted to these products, as flavored e-cigarettes became preferred in the teenage population. With the surge of underage vaping and the concern for the growing population, the company faced major backlash.
Coupled with this backlash, the FDA rejected Juul’s application to keep its product on the market as an alternative for smoking because they did not address key questions about the harmful health effects the chemicals in the products could cause. Amidst these government sanctions and the backlash in lawsuits, the company is facing increasingly likely bankruptcy in the future.
