Attorney General Maura Healey announced on February 12, 2020 that her office has sued JUUL Labs Inc. for creating a youth vaping epidemic by intentionally marketing and selling its e-cigarettes to young people.
In a lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court against JUUL Labs Inc. and its predecessor entity Pax Labs Inc. (together, “JUUL”), the AG’s Office alleges that the company illegally advertised and sold nicotine products to underage youth and created an epidemic of nicotine addiction among young people. The lawsuit demands that JUUL pay for the costs associated with combating this public health crisis affecting young people across Massachusetts.
AG Healey was the first attorney general to announce an investigation into JUUL in July 2018. The AG's lawsuit provides the first real window into JUUL’s original marketing plan, and shows that JUUL intentionally chose models and images that appealed to young people, that the company advertised its products on websites geared toward kids, and that JUUL shipped e-cigarettes to underage youth who ordered them directly from JUUL online.