JUUL Vaping Illness Lawsuit Attorneys

E-cigarette use among all groups reportedly increased ten-fold between 2011 and 2016. Vaping among teenagers nearly doubled between 2017 and 2018, rising to 3.6 million users and reversing a long decline in teen cigarette use. JUUL and other electronic cigarette makers targeted youth as well as adult smokers who were trying to quit smoking tobacco with marketing that played up e-cigarette products as an appealing and safer alternative to traditional cigarettes.

Like tobacco products, JUUL’s “pods,” which are inserted into the e-cigarette device, contain addictive nicotine. They are commonly called electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS). But unlike tobacco, their fruity, candy-like different flavors and lack of unpleasant odor—the very qualities touted in JUUL’s advertising—are more likely to encourage heavy usage and give young adults a false sense of security. Nicotine is believed by medical experts to be especially harmful to teenagers; the demographic JUUL is most accused of targeting, with adverse effects on brain development.

Health experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claim that the technology in e-cigarettes exposes users to greater amounts of nicotine than standard cigarettes, with the result being that millions of high school students and young adults are becoming rapidly addicted to vaping in a way not seen with traditional cigarettes.

Aside from the addictive qualities of nicotine, it is generally agreed that vaping causes safety issues and harm to the airways, throat, and lung injury, risking potential catastrophic and irreversible injury.

The health dangers of nicotine addiction are long-established, particularly its effects on blood pressure. What’s more, far from being “safer” than tobacco cigarettes as claimed, studies have found e-cigarette vapors to contain many of the same dangerous substances and toxins and cause many of the same harms, which include airway inflammation and obstruction, oxidative stress, and increased susceptibility to infection.

Other reported vaping / electronic cigarettes dangers have included all the following:

• In people under 25, the nicotine in Juul e-cigarettes can permanently alter the structure of the brain and cause personality changes and other cognitive disorders.
• Large doses of nicotine in Juul e-cigarettes significantly increase blood pressure, heart rate, and stiffening of arteries, and can also cause vascular damage, which raises the risk of stroke, heart attack, and coronary artery disease.
• Respiratory ailments, including chronic bronchitis, as well as increased prevalence and severity of asthma among adolescents have been reported as a result of vaping.
• Seizures and convulsions as a result of nicotine poisoning from excessive nicotine intake.
• Increased risk of pulmonary disease. Some of the flavoring chemicals in vaping fluids are believed to cause a grave condition called “popcorn lung” (bronchiolitis obliterans), which is similar in nature to COPD and characterized by coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. However, it would seem there is still some uncertainty in the medical community over this.
• Although there is yet no definitive research on the subject, some animal studies done to date on exposure to e-cigarette vapor reveal it could possibly lead to lung cancer.
• Death

Because Juul pod vaping is such a new phenomenon, there is much that is still unknown and not understood about its effects. Perhaps the most frightening thing is that unlike tobacco cigarettes, whose ill effects are often not seen until many years after a person picks up the habit, the high nicotine concentration and other chemicals in JUUL and other e-cigarette products are causing more immediate health effects in users who have only been vaping for relatively short periods of time.

JUUL is in the hot seat. It is currently the subject of a congressional inquiry into its marketing, health claims, and financing by the tobacco industry (Altria, parent company of Philip Morris, invested nearly $13 billion in the company in 2018, giving it a 35-percent stake in JUUL). JUUL’s former chief executive officer resigned amid all the controversy in September 2019. The rapid spike in e-cigarette use among teens and associated health concerns has prompted some states to scramble to pass legislation banning sales of vaping products to persons under 21.

JUUL is also the target of a growing mountain of litigation in a number of states, including class-action lawsuits by users and former users, school districts and other government entities.

King’s County, Washington, brought a JUUL lawsuit after a dozen confirmed cases of vaping-related lung illness in the state, accusing JUUL and its affiliates of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy in targeting of minors.

The first wrongful death suit against the company, filed in San Francisco, California federal court in October 2019, accuses JUUL of specifically targeting underage use through “colorful marketing” campaigns characterizing vaping as a fun and “healthy” alternative to cigarettes (Vail v. JUUL Labs Inc. et al.).

The suit was brought by the mother of an 18-year-old Florida youth who died from breathing complications after vaping JUUL heavily since age 15. The deceased had been hospitalized once for respiratory issues before his death. The suit alleges JUUL intentionally designed its product to addict young people to nicotine with “attractive and palatable” pods packaged in “youth-friendly colors and flavors that minimize the harsh taste and discomfort of traditional smoking.” It goes further in accusing JUUL of studying the tobacco industry’s playbook in manipulating the nicotine in its products to “maximize” their addictive qualities in order to hook new users.

The various public health suits also accuse JUUL of carrying inadequate warnings on its product packaging of the highly addictive nature of the nicotine contained in the pods. They accuse the company of aggressive marketing tactics to a young customer base including direct emails to users, promotional offers of free pods, and multiple assurances in its literature that the products are safe.

Also in October 2019, JUUL agreed to stop marketing to teens and to suspend sales of some of its flavored e-cigarettes as part of a legally binding agreement with an environmental group, according to National Public Radio. The Center for Environmental Health had sued the company and other e-cigarette makers for peddling addictive products to young people creating a public health crisis. The agreement is only enforceable in California, however.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has represented thousands of clients who were injured by defective products and recovered millions of dollars from manufacturers to compensate clients for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages. Our personal injury attorneys are committed to holding corporations accountable when their deceptive advertising tactics and dangerous products harm the unsuspecting public. If you have contracted a lung disease or other illness or lost a loved one from vaping, we are ready to help you get financial compensation for your medical costs and other losses.

We have the resources needed to go up against well-funded corporations, and we do not charge you any legal fees unless and until we are successful in recovering compensation on your behalf. We are here to answer any questions you have about pending JUUL lawsuit and your legal rights. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.