E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Washington state $22.5 million and has agreed to a variety of reforms to prevent underage use and sales under a settlement announced Wednesday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. FOX13
Seven vape companies across the country, including a Washington state vendor, were caught illegally selling products to minors online as part of an investigation from Attorney General Bob Ferguson.filed in King County Superior Court, Juul Labs admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case and in an email after the announcement called it "another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company and resolve issues from the past.
It’s the fourth such settlement with states by the company within the past year. In November, Juul settled for $14.5 million with state prosecutors in Arizona, just months after agreeing to pay $40 million in North Carolina. As in Washington, the company promised not to market to minors in those states to and boost enforcement of retailers who sell its products.
Lawsuits in a handful of other states remain. In its statement Wednesday, the company said it has also settled with Louisiana. "We will continue working with federal and state stakeholders to advance a fully regulated, science-based marketplace for vapor products," the company wrote. Under the settlement announced in Washington state, Juul must stop all advertising that appeals to youth and is prohibited from marketing its products on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. It must also monitor for and report social media content about JUUL products posted by underage users, and must implement practices to prevent underage youth from buying Juul products online, including requiring an ID-verified adult signature upon delivery of the products.