Several lawsuits concerning JUUL health issues were recently consolidated in a California MDL.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation recently consolidated 10 lawsuits into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL) centered in California federal court. Five of the consolidated lawsuits were originally filed in California federal court, but the others were filed in Alabama, Florida, and New York. According to the panel’s order, over 40 other lawsuits may also be related to the newly established MDL.

Claims brought in the MDL lawsuits claim that JUUL Labs Inc. downplayed the risks associated with their products when marketing to teenagers. Plaintiffs in the lawsuits also claim that JUUL misrepresents the risks of their products in general which results in deceived consumers.

According to the lawsuits, JUUL products contain 20 percent more nicotine than is advertised by the company. This allegedly results in consumers, including young teenagers, thinking that it is safe for them to use the products. Some consumers looking to switch from traditional tobacco to e-cigarettes may also be disappointed, according to the lawsuits, due to the massive amounts of nicotine allegedly delivered by JUUL products.

The MDL panel has not made any determination on the claims in these lawsuits, but instead chose to consolidate the cases due to the overlap.

Lawyers representing some of the plaintiffs in the MDL lawsuits are reportedly pleased with the decision as it will streamline the litigation process.

“We’re glad to see that the cases will be centralized in a single court under a respected judge who already has some familiarity with the nature of the claims,” one representing lawyer told Law360.

“The scope of the litigation is growing day by day and our clients— a number of whom have suffered significant impairments from JUUL — are looking [forward] to the court taking these cases and moving them along quickly. It is a major public health crisis with too many victims.”

JUUL Health Issues

The recent attention on JUUL and vaping has drawn FDA scrutiny, and caused consumers and scientists to investigate the JUUL health concerns possible with this relatively new technology.

The most notable risk of vaping is nicotine addiction. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance which has been compared to “hard” drugs like cocaine. Becoming addicted to nicotine can increase the chance of eventually smoking traditional cigarettes and may have adverse effects on the developing brains of teenagers.

Other JUUL health issues are currently contested, but some researchers argue that the use of e-cigarettes can have a negative effect on heart health, reproductive health, neurological wellness, and more.

According to the National Center for Health Research, JUUL products pose an increased risk of harm due to the concentration of their nicotine juice. While similar products use liquid with 2.4 percent nicotine by volume, JUUL allegedly uses over twice that with 5 percent nicotine concentration in their liquid. This reportedly results in one JUUL pod equaling an entire pack of cigarettes.

The JUUL Health Issues MDL is In re: JUUL Labs Inc., Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 2913 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented 
for informational purposes only.