KING COUNTY, Wash. — King County reached a settlement with Juul Labs, Inc. Wednesday morning after more than three years of litigation.
In 2019, King County filed a lawsuit against Juul, claiming the e-cigarette company fueled the vaping public health crisis. The lawsuit claimed that 60% of tobacco and nicotine violations in Seattle Public Schools from the 2017-2018 school year were for Juul use.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked nearly 1,300 cases of lung injury and 26 deaths to e-cigarettes at the time the lawsuit was filed.
In December, the company paid almost $440 million to settle cases brought by 33 states, following a $22.5 million settlement with Washington state in April, 2022. The Food and Drug Administration said Juul did not adequately address concerns about chemicals' potential to leech from its devices.
The resources provided by Wednesday's settlement will go toward comprehensive tobacco prevention. This will include changes in policies, systems, and environments and focus on the needs of the community. The exact dollar amount of the settlement was not immediately available on Wednesday.
“The investments we make from this settlement will pay off for lifetimes in less illness, suffering, and deaths from preventable diseases caused by tobacco and nicotine use,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, director for public health for Seattle and King County.
King County is continuing its litigation against Altria Group, Inc. which invested over $12 billion in Juul after removing its own e-cigarettes from selves in 2018.
“There’s no higher priority than the health and well-being of our kids,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “And we can’t let the progress we’ve made be threatened by persistent youth nicotine use.”
