A recent e-cigarette addiction lawsuit claims that JUUL Labs downplayed the negative health effects of JUULing.

According to plaintiff Filipe R., a minor from Tennesse, JUUL vape products were intentionally marketed to children under the age of 18. This allegedly led “millions of youths” to become addicted to nicotine.

Filipe claims that he and others were “severely and negatively impacted by Defendants’ campaign to promote and sell a highly addictive product as if it was safe, fun and appropriate for recreational use by young people when it is nothing of the kind.”

Filipe allegedly started using JUUL vaping products when he was only 16 after seeing advertisements from the company on Instagram and Snapchat. Seeing his high school-aged friends use the products allegedly contributed to his use as well.

Although Filipe had never used cigarettes before, he allegedly developed a nicotine addiction after he started to use the JUUL vaping system. In addition to the financial damage allegedly sustained by purchasing e-cigarette pens and vapes, Filipe reportedly sustained damage to his health from JUULing after he developed a nicotine addiction and nausea.

According to the e-cigarette lawsuit, Filipe was not warned of the negative health effects of JUULing – addiction and “serious health consequences” were not mentioned in advertising.

“The teens, including Plaintiff, who purchased and used the JUUL Vaping Products, were unaware of the risks of the JUUL Vaping Products and are now suffering the severe consequences of Defendants’ false and deceptive marketing, including addiction, increased health risks, health consequences and economic losses,” the e-cigarette addiction lawsuit argues.

JUUL Labs Advertising & Negative Health Effects of e-Cigarettes

This is not the first time JUUL has come under fire for deceptive advertising. In early 2019, Vox shared an ad study by Stanford that reportedly showed that JUUL’s Instagram posts, emails, and ads were “patently youth-oriented.” Utilizing attractive models, influencers, appealing flavors, and other prominent themes, JUUL advertising allegedly appealed to young adults and encouraged the vaping lifestyle.

JUUL representatives have said that these advertisements were “short-lived” and “intended for adults,” but Filipe, parents, and health advocates disagree. They argue that JUUL intentionally took advantage of teenagers through their advertisements without revealing the true negative health effects of JUULing, according to a report by Vox.

In September, health authorities and advocates rallied against JUUL Labs, prompting the FDA to investigate harmful advertising practices. The American Heart Association reportedly supported the investigation, arguing that JUUL Labs “preyed upon youth and adolescents with slick marketing that simultaneously suggests e-cigarettes are harmless or less harmful to users and promotes appealing flavors that attract kids.” Some states, like New York, are working to ban flavored e-cigarettes.

The Oct. 11 complaint includes claims against JUUL Labs. Inc and others. Filipe pins liability on the JUUL Brand as well as PAX Labs Inc., the company name which originally operated the JUUL brand before being renamed as JUUL Labs in 2017. The e-cigarette addiction lawsuit also brings claims against tobacco company Altria Group Inc. (formerly Phillip Morris), which owns cigarette brand Marlboro and who purchased a 35 percent stake in JUUL in December 2018.

The E-Cigarette Addition Lawsuit is Case No. 3:19-cv-00904 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

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