Seattle Public Schools Sues Juul, Altria Over Youth Vaping

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle Public Schools sued Juul Labs and Altria Group Thursday, alleging advertising campaigns and product designs purposely target minors to hook underage users on nicotine. Altria, the parent company of Phillip Morris, owns a 35-percent take in Juul.

"There is no doubt that vaping is reaching epidemic proportions among teenagers, and we can't just sit by while our students suffer the effects of being targeted by Juul," Superintendent Denise Juneau said in a statement.

According to the Healthy Youth Survey, there was a 250 percent increase in the number of tenth-graders who reported vaping between 2016 and 2018.

The 105-page lawsuit was filed in federal court in Seattle, but district officials said it will likely join multi-district litigation pending in San Francisco. The district is seeking money to pay for youth vaping prevention and cessation programs, while requiring Juul to halt all marketing toward minors.

Seattle Schools' lawsuit comes amid a rash of lung injuries linked to vaping, including 14 cases reported in Washington. In September, Governor Inslee directed the Board of Health to issue an emergency order blocking the sale of all flavored vapor products in the state.